Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 24,888,409 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 DC1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 DC1 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.

2015 DC1 orbits the sun every 441 days (1.21 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.27 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 DC1 is probably between 0.019 to 0.085 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 DC1's orbit is 0.10 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.

2015 DC1 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 16, 2020 24,888,409 5.601
Feb. 22, 2044 26,346,596 5.775
Sept. 4, 2049 14,840,802 6.010
Jan. 29, 2050 15,585,681 6.359
Aug. 9, 2055 28,973,544 5.607
Sept. 12, 2078 26,297,268 8.178
Feb. 14, 2079 21,763,014 5.747
Aug. 31, 2084 15,973,428 5.745
Jan. 25, 2085 18,253,515 6.914
Sept. 10, 2113 18,722,789 6.899
Feb. 6, 2114 16,365,091 5.853
Aug. 24, 2119 20,965,433 5.602
Jan. 24, 2120 25,662,115 8.157
March 1, 2143 29,781,291 5.761
Sept. 7, 2148 15,748,335 6.297
Feb. 1, 2149 14,854,613 6.093
Aug. 16, 2154 25,570,657 5.615
Feb. 22, 2178 25,862,507 5.759
Sept. 6, 2183 15,175,364 5.984
Jan. 30, 2184 15,435,530 6.399

Images and Observations

2015 DC1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 17, 2015. It was last officially observed on March 25, 2015. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 16 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2015 DC1 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.399 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 2,176 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2015 DC1.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2015 DC1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.134 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1192
  • Inclination: 10.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 326.72°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 94.65°
  • Mean Anomaly: 107.32°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.052 km
  • Magnitude: 24.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 441 days (1.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.97 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2015 DC1 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 2015 DC1 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.