Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 2,435,906 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 DH2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 DH2 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.

2020 DH2 orbits the sun every 605 days (1.66 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.80 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 DH2 is probably between 0.024 to 0.054 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 DH2's orbit is 0.01 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.

2020 DH2 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 18, 2020 2,435,906 9.868
Feb. 2, 2025 28,601,512 12.054

Images and Observations

2020 DH2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 19, 2020. It was last officially observed on March 1, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 96 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 2020 DH2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.4 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2837
  • Inclination: 16.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 148.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 4.54°
  • Mean Anomaly: 52.53°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.031 km
  • Magnitude: 25.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 605 days (1.66 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.17 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.80 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 DH2 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 2020 DH2 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.