2014 DF23

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 22,107,456 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 DF23 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 DF23 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.

2014 DF23 orbits the sun every 318 days (0.87 years), coming as close as 0.72 AU and reaching as far as 1.10 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 DF23 is probably between 0.020 to 0.090 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2014 DF23'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.

2014 DF23 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2014 DF23's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 21, 2014. It was last officially observed on March 11, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 48 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2014 DF23 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.708 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 21,613 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2014 DF23.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2014 DF23:

• 65679 (1989 UQ)
• 96590 (1998 XB)
• 105140 (2000 NL10)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2014 DF23 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 2014 DF23 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.