Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 2,308,228 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2019 DQ is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 DQ 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.

2019 DQ orbits the sun every 273 days (0.75 years), coming as close as 0.51 AU and reaching as far as 1.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 DQ is probably between 0.012 to 0.026 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2019 DQ'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.

2019 DQ has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 19, 2019 2,308,228 9.675
Feb. 26, 2022 11,577,591 8.197
March 12, 2025 18,718,516 7.951
March 27, 2028 21,496,031 8.064
April 12, 2031 20,372,473 7.964
April 27, 2034 15,236,053 8.001
May 7, 2037 8,539,074 9.268
May 8, 2040 10,319,743 11.417
May 8, 2043 20,963,344 14.089
Feb. 20, 2063 23,525,594 14.987
Feb. 18, 2066 10,687,590 12.220
Feb. 18, 2069 1,464,035 9.894

Images and Observations

2019 DQ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 26, 2019. It was last officially observed on Feb. 28, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 26 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 DQ:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8228 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3856
  • Inclination: 3.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 159.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 210.76°
  • Mean Anomaly: 144.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.015 km
  • Magnitude: 26.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 273 days (0.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.79 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.14 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.51 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2019 DQ 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.