2012 DF31

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2012 DF31

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,565,018 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 DF31 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 DF31 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.

2012 DF31 orbits the sun every 426 days (1.17 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 1.63 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 DF31 is probably between 0.032 to 0.072 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2012 DF31'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.

2012 DF31 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 9, 2019 3,565,018 15.095
March 8, 2026 5,148,310 16.017
March 5, 2033 14,420,980 18.067
Oct. 21, 2042 19,729,857 19.150
Oct. 17, 2049 8,955,863 16.837
Oct. 15, 2056 4,225,323 15.463
Oct. 15, 2063 4,963,024 14.678
Oct. 13, 2070 8,524,834 13.768
Oct. 12, 2077 14,348,333 12.511
Oct. 10, 2084 22,618,677 10.873
March 15, 2104 23,186,866 10.719
March 12, 2111 8,993,132 13.585
March 10, 2118 3,648,082 15.398
March 6, 2125 13,947,405 17.968
Oct. 22, 2134 17,160,953 18.599
Oct. 15, 2141 8,142,105 13.814
March 14, 2154 17,338,261 11.841
March 3, 2161 23,708,983 19.973
Oct. 23, 2163 18,761,601 18.905
Oct. 12, 2170 20,396,492 11.279

Images and Observations

2012 DF31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 16, 2012. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 54 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2012 DF31:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.108 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4746
  • Inclination: 1.57°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 109.36°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 165.48°
  • Mean Anomaly: 262.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.042 km
  • Magnitude: 24.58

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 426 days (1.17 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.30 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.63 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.58 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2012 DF31 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 2012 DF31 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.