Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 4,681,309 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 DS30 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 DS30 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 DS30 orbits the sun every 418 days (1.14 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 1.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 DS30 is probably between 0.011 to 0.049 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2012 DS30's orbit is 0.03 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 DS30 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 26, 2020 4,681,309 5.441
Aug. 2, 2020 18,273,209 5.389
Feb. 25, 2075 4,819,991 5.660

Images and Observations

2012 DS30's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 23, 2012. It was last officially observed on Feb. 27, 2012. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 45 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2012 DS30 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.904 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 114,427 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 DS30.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2012 DS30:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.094 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0927
  • Inclination: 9.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 332.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 229.29°
  • Mean Anomaly: 357.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.030 km
  • Magnitude: 26.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 418 days (1.14 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.20 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2012 DS30 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 DS30 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.