Don Quixote is a large asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Don Quixote 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.
Don Quixote orbits the sun every 3,220 days (8.82 years), coming as close as 1.25 AU and reaching as far as 7.28 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Don Quixote is about 19.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.
The rotation of Don Quixote has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.67 hours.
Don Quixote's spectral type D (Tholen) / D (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain .
Don Quixote's orbit is 0.34 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.
Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.
Don Quixote's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 10, 1983. It was last officially observed on Feb. 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,376 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of Don Quixote 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.