2018 DC4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 DC4 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 DC4 orbits the sun every 321 days (0.88 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 DC4 is probably between 0.006 to 0.027 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 DC4's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2018 DC4 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 29, 2024 | 7,193,062 | 4.486 |
| May 29, 2025 | 28,103,769 | 4.685 |
| March 7, 2033 | 25,456,416 | 9.094 |
| Sept. 21, 2054 | 24,977,246 | 4.251 |
| Feb. 28, 2055 | 3,217,840 | 3.438 |
| Sept. 17, 2092 | 25,031,333 | 4.314 |
| Feb. 27, 2093 | 3,566,970 | 3.393 |
| Sept. 28, 2131 | 22,615,268 | 3.636 |
| Feb. 11, 2132 | 7,398,536 | 3.143 |
2018 DC4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 26, 2018. It was last officially observed on March 2, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 19 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 DC4 can be reached with a journey of 442 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.306 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 413,482 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 DC4.
The position of 2018 DC4 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.