Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 16,018,831 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

457662 (2009 DZ) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 DZ as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 DZ orbits the sun every 640 days (1.75 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 1.89 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 DZ is probably between 0.106 to 0.237 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2009 DZ's orbit is 0.04 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.

2009 DZ has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 24, 2023 16,018,831 10.032
Feb. 28, 2030 24,604,151 11.176
Feb. 5, 2116 24,481,693 8.841
Feb. 10, 2123 17,042,453 8.440
Feb. 11, 2130 14,380,431 8.376
Feb. 9, 2137 16,937,450 8.438
Feb. 5, 2144 24,197,532 8.821

Images and Observations

2009 DZ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 18, 2009. It was last officially observed on March 29, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 191 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 2009 DZ:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.453 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3021
  • Inclination: 14.11°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 151.45°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 335.91°
  • Mean Anomaly: 124.31°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.137 km
  • Magnitude: 22.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 640 days (1.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.89 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 457662 (2009 DZ) 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 2009 DZ 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.