Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 13,750,553 km of Earth in 2054
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2019 DD2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 DD2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2019 DD2 orbits the sun every 1,070 days (2.93 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 3.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 DD2 is probably between 0.156 to 0.348 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2019 DD2'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.

2019 DD2 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 24, 2054 13,750,553 21.356
March 16, 2124 13,558,378 23.210
March 14, 2156 21,718,724 23.853
March 29, 2188 25,179,056 20.966

Images and Observations

2019 DD2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 23, 2010. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 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 2019 DD2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.045 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5117
  • Inclination: 36.59°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 179.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 30.13°
  • Mean Anomaly: 191.22°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.201 km
  • Magnitude: 21.16

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,070 days (2.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.79 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.09 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2019 DD2 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 2019 DD2 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.