2012 DW60 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 DW60 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 DW60 orbits the sun every 428 days (1.17 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 1.30 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 DW60 is probably between 0.009 to 0.039 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2012 DW60's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2012 DW60 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 9, 2019 | 28,379,978 | 3.146 |
| May 22, 2019 | 17,064,110 | 4.194 |
| Aug. 21, 2019 | 23,230,947 | 3.475 |
| Aug. 1, 2026 | 11,795,584 | 6.363 |
| March 12, 2046 | 1,883,231 | 5.747 |
| Feb. 28, 2053 | 29,657,321 | 10.966 |
| Aug. 5, 2068 | 15,514,683 | 7.510 |
| July 28, 2075 | 14,462,139 | 3.244 |
| April 11, 2082 | 12,853,357 | 4.030 |
| March 9, 2089 | 6,583,559 | 6.588 |
| Aug. 8, 2104 | 18,473,593 | 8.180 |
| June 11, 2111 | 17,398,858 | 3.877 |
| Aug. 16, 2111 | 19,906,112 | 3.163 |
| March 13, 2118 | 1,984,440 | 5.788 |
| Aug. 5, 2126 | 10,649,716 | 4.182 |
2012 DW60's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 29, 2012. It was last officially observed on July 28, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 66 observations used to determine its orbit.
2012 DW60 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.713 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 72,422 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 DW60.
The position of 2012 DW60 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.