448003 (2008 DE)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 448003 (2008 DE)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 23,330,131 km of Earth in 2091
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

448003 (2008 DE) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 DE as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 DE orbits the sun every 820 days (2.25 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 2.42 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 DE is probably between 0.314 to 0.702 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2008 DE's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2008 DE has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 10, 2091 23,330,131 11.637
May 28, 2100 9,778,587 10.396
May 24, 2109 5,814,061 10.213
June 4, 2118 16,112,297 10.861
April 21, 2197 28,364,032 12.779

Images and Observations

2008 DE's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 12, 2008. It was last officially observed on Oct. 31, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 378 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 2008 DE:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.714 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4141
  • Inclination: 14.77°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 55.91°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 179.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 298.31°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.405 km
  • Magnitude: 19.64

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 820 days (2.25 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.74 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 448003 (2008 DE) 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 2008 DE 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.