264993 (2003 DX10)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 264993 (2003 DX10)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 8,923,698 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

264993 (2003 DX10) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 DX10 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 DX10 orbits the sun every 589 days (1.61 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 1.94 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 DX10 is probably between 0.220 to 0.492 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2003 DX10'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.

2003 DX10 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 24, 2024 8,923,698 12.578
Aug. 21, 2040 8,446,041 11.706
April 25, 2053 22,216,004 8.719
July 19, 2061 24,339,824 8.749
March 24, 2074 11,191,840 13.202
May 25, 2082 29,627,044 9.901
Aug. 12, 2090 13,603,922 9.362
March 30, 2103 6,599,642 11.531
Aug. 11, 2119 15,592,587 8.995
March 25, 2132 10,302,378 12.990
May 12, 2140 27,119,540 9.393
July 15, 2148 26,053,667 8.993
Aug. 28, 2156 15,571,441 13.994
April 10, 2169 14,158,453 9.133
Aug. 20, 2185 9,161,648 10.630
March 28, 2198 8,112,878 12.406

Images and Observations

2003 DX10's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 26, 2003. It was last officially observed on Sept. 20, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 230 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 2003 DX10:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.376 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4109
  • Inclination: 3.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 61.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 193.88°
  • Mean Anomaly: 211.03°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.284 km
  • Magnitude: 20.41

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 589 days (1.61 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.42 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.94 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 264993 (2003 DX10) 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 2003 DX10 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.