2002 DQ3

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 24,926,416 km of Earth in 2020
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 DQ3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2002 DQ3 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2002 DQ3 orbits the sun every 596 days (1.63 years), coming as close as 1.03 AU and reaching as far as 1.74 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 DQ3 is probably between 0.030 to 0.135 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

2002 DQ3's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

2002 DQ3's orbit is 0.05 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2002 DQ3 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2002 DQ3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 22, 2002. It was last officially observed on April 23, 2002. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 68 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2002 DQ3 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.57 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 53 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2002 DQ3.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2002 DQ3:

• 1951 Lick (1949 OA)
• 11066 Sigurd (1992 CC1)
• 17182 (1999 VU)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2002 DQ3 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2002 DQ3 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.