Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 4,745,029 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 DK is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 DK 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 DK orbits the sun every 209 days (0.57 years), coming as close as 0.34 AU and reaching as far as 1.03 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 DK is probably between 0.016 to 0.036 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 DK's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2020 DK has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 15, 2020 4,745,029 9.653
Feb. 12, 2024 3,409,327 9.870
Feb. 9, 2028 1,731,368 10.173
Feb. 9, 2032 1,421,915 10.253
Feb. 13, 2036 3,762,521 9.814
March 11, 2052 3,598,691 10.387
March 14, 2056 6,130,779 11.548
March 16, 2060 12,717,953 13.227
March 16, 2064 21,224,737 15.345
Feb. 3, 2077 20,991,556 15.297
Feb. 3, 2081 11,888,953 13.124
Feb. 5, 2085 3,900,974 11.294
Feb. 8, 2089 450,790 10.496
Feb. 27, 2093 6,309,196 9.558
March 14, 2097 6,644,962 11.612
March 16, 2101 25,341,456 16.313
Feb. 4, 2106 22,259,679 15.611
Feb. 20, 2114 5,970,493 9.523
March 7, 2143 5,311,790 9.768
March 10, 2164 4,218,511 10.122

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 34 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Feb. 9, 2106 0.00023 0.3485
Feb. 7, 2093 0.00023 0.3488
Feb. 9, 2122 0.00018 0.3507
Feb. 7, 2093 0.00017 0.3487
Feb. 9, 2119 0.00012 0.3494
Feb. 8, 2098 0.00011 0.3482
Feb. 9, 2122 0.00009 0.3515
Feb. 7, 2093 0.00008 0.3492
Feb. 7, 2093 0.00007 0.349
Feb. 9, 2114 0.00006 0.3508
Feb. 9, 2122 0.00006 0.3521
Feb. 9, 2110 0.00004 0.3478
Feb. 7, 2089 0.00003 0.3485
Feb. 7, 2097 0.00003 0.3488
Feb. 7, 2089 0.00002 0.3487
Feb. 9, 2118 0.00001 0.3484
Feb. 9, 2110 0.00001 0.3475
Feb. 7, 2097 0.00001 0.3456
Feb. 8, 2118 0.00001 0.349
Feb. 9, 2107 0.00000 0.3489
Feb. 9, 2118 0.00000 0.3487
Feb. 8, 2122 0.00000 0.3461
Feb. 9, 2120 0.00000 0.3454
Feb. 9, 2120 0.00000 0.3447
Feb. 8, 2098 0.00000 0.3458
Feb. 8, 2098 0.00000 0.3488
Feb. 9, 2120 0.00000 0.349
Feb. 9, 2119 0.00000 0.3493
Feb. 9, 2108 0.00000 0.3515
Feb. 9, 2108 0.00000 0.3513
Feb. 9, 2104 0.00000 0.3506
Feb. 9, 2120 0.00000 0.349
Feb. 9, 2120 0.00000 0.3484
Feb. 8, 2098 0.00000 0.3489

Images and Observations

2020 DK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 4, 2020. It was last officially observed on Feb. 21, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 53 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 DK:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.689 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4994
  • Inclination: 2.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 323.26°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 13.14°
  • Mean Anomaly: 244.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.021 km
  • Magnitude: 26.06

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 209 days (0.57 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 35.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.03 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.34 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 DK 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.