2018 DA2

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2018 DA2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 13,368,701 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 DA2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 DA2 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.

2018 DA2 orbits the sun every 303 days (0.83 years), coming as close as 0.48 AU and reaching as far as 1.28 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 DA2 is probably between 0.059 to 0.131 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 DA2's orbit is 0.08 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.

2018 DA2 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 17, 2023 13,368,701 16.289
March 14, 2028 29,343,163 20.348
March 10, 2047 28,228,703 12.784
March 16, 2052 14,454,999 14.440
March 16, 2057 18,445,755 17.820
March 13, 2081 22,394,361 13.205
March 17, 2086 12,708,697 15.636
March 16, 2091 25,554,824 19.492
March 17, 2115 16,806,035 13.956
March 18, 2120 15,769,373 17.056
March 13, 2144 25,308,507 12.964
March 18, 2149 13,192,291 15.010
March 17, 2154 22,161,330 18.667
March 16, 2178 19,674,372 13.528
March 19, 2183 13,847,663 16.294
March 16, 2188 29,540,986 20.324

Images and Observations

2018 DA2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 25, 2018. It was last officially observed on March 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 56 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 2018 DA2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8825 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4508
  • Inclination: 18.32°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 344.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 328.65°
  • Mean Anomaly: 126.32°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.076 km
  • Magnitude: 23.28

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 303 days (0.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.28 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.48 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 DA2 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 2018 DA2 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.