Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,310,596 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 DC1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 DC1 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.

2021 DC1 orbits the sun every 384 days (1.05 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.16 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 DC1 is probably between 0.010 to 0.044 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 DC1'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.

2021 DC1 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 19, 2021 3,310,596 8.177
Aug. 17, 2022 13,830,244 6.913
Feb. 17, 2041 13,902,552 9.685
Aug. 19, 2042 26,994,706 6.843
Aug. 24, 2043 20,069,209 10.466
Feb. 19, 2062 14,644,529 7.027
Aug. 20, 2063 2,115,389 8.046
Feb. 19, 2081 6,421,562 7.542
Aug. 19, 2082 2,423,237 7.765

Images and Observations

2021 DC1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 18, 2021. It was last officially observed on Feb. 22, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2021 DC1 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.425 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 4,870 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 DC1.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 DC1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.034 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1254
  • Inclination: 13.26°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 147.86°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 86.59°
  • Mean Anomaly: 87.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.027 km
  • Magnitude: 26.24

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 384 days (1.05 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.29 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.16 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 DC1 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.