2016 DL

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2016 DL

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field (0.23 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 7,989,452 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 DL is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 DL as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 DL orbits the sun every 220 days (0.60 years), coming as close as 0.38 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. 2016 DL is about 0.2 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2016 DL's orbit is 0.05 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.

2016 DL has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 15, 2019 7,989,452 15.192
Jan. 15, 2022 12,948,926 17.411
Jan. 18, 2025 27,109,544 20.201
Jan. 18, 2048 20,410,134 13.675
Jan. 15, 2051 8,867,850 15.000
Jan. 15, 2054 11,636,152 17.148
Jan. 17, 2057 25,474,907 19.892
Jan. 19, 2080 22,942,833 13.534
Jan. 15, 2083 10,888,914 14.642
Jan. 15, 2086 9,421,284 16.646
Jan. 17, 2089 22,657,049 19.347
Jan. 21, 2112 24,866,451 13.441
Jan. 17, 2115 12,640,425 14.393
Jan. 16, 2118 8,203,779 16.283
Jan. 18, 2121 20,594,385 18.942
Jan. 21, 2144 25,216,282 13.418
Jan. 17, 2147 12,817,251 14.372
Jan. 16, 2150 8,208,069 16.268
Jan. 18, 2153 20,541,735 18.925
Jan. 21, 2176 24,687,355 13.438
Jan. 17, 2179 12,075,397 14.486
Jan. 16, 2182 8,902,960 16.483
Jan. 18, 2185 22,170,632 19.248

Images and Observations

2016 DL's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 16, 2010. It was last officially observed on Jan. 31, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 79 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 2016 DL:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7143 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4711
  • Inclination: 23.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 290.12°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 33.19°
  • Mean Anomaly: 16.39°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.22800 km
  • Magnitude: 21.34
  • Albedo: 0.103

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 220 days (0.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 35.32 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.38 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2016 DL 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 2016 DL 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.