2007 DG8

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2007 DG8

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,812,209 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 DG8 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 DG8 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.

2007 DG8 orbits the sun every 578 days (1.58 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.87 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 DG8 is probably between 0.016 to 0.071 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2007 DG8's orbit is 0.02 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.

2007 DG8 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 28, 2026 3,812,209 9.923
June 14, 2037 18,692,351 7.418
Feb. 18, 2045 22,740,906 14.392
April 29, 2056 24,627,331 8.312
July 20, 2067 16,935,616 13.189
March 31, 2075 19,445,863 7.525
July 18, 2086 10,989,734 12.001
April 5, 2094 20,961,446 7.701
July 24, 2105 24,962,102 14.769
May 6, 2113 24,731,927 8.333
Feb. 18, 2121 28,390,008 15.537
June 4, 2132 21,478,099 7.731
Feb. 25, 2140 11,582,794 12.079
June 21, 2151 16,983,533 7.405
Feb. 25, 2159 11,758,674 12.121
May 28, 2170 23,042,022 7.986
April 18, 2189 23,278,097 8.038

Images and Observations

2007 DG8's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 21, 2007. It was last officially observed on Aug. 8, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 42 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2007 DG8 can be reached with a journey of 346 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.009 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 345 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2007 DG8.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2007 DG8:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.358 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3737
  • Inclination: 3.08°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 131.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 90.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 130.23°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.044 km
  • Magnitude: 25.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 578 days (1.58 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.87 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2007 DG8 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 2007 DG8 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.