462959 (2011 DU)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 462959 (2011 DU)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 4,930,695 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

462959 (2011 DU) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 DU as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 DU orbits the sun every 463 days (1.27 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.54 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 DU is probably between 0.104 to 0.467 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2011 DU has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 10.29 hours.

Close Approaches

2011 DU's orbit is 0.02 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.

2011 DU has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 25, 2025 4,930,695 9.484
Oct. 16, 2035 15,461,562 12.727
May 24, 2044 23,369,990 6.606
Sept. 8, 2049 23,522,235 7.048
April 19, 2058 16,157,658 12.743
Oct. 9, 2068 2,741,335 9.649
April 28, 2077 8,212,521 8.384
Oct. 21, 2087 28,360,946 15.309
April 15, 2091 29,610,566 15.483
Oct. 7, 2101 6,681,792 8.540
April 26, 2110 4,832,060 9.639
Oct. 16, 2120 13,069,772 12.242
May 24, 2129 22,890,842 6.565
Sept. 10, 2134 23,198,834 6.994
April 22, 2143 13,680,450 12.220
Oct. 13, 2153 4,671,752 10.453
June 3, 2162 25,692,543 7.079
Oct. 1, 2167 14,747,626 7.066
April 30, 2176 7,765,210 8.540
Aug. 23, 2181 28,410,279 8.004
April 23, 2190 11,496,089 11.766

Images and Observations

2011 DU's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 22, 2011. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 299 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2011 DU can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.682 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 1,859 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2011 DU.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2011 DU:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.171 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3176
  • Inclination: 2.95°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 176.88°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 120.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 213.07°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.286 km
  • Magnitude: 21.11

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 463 days (1.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.51 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU
  • Rotation Period: 10.29 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 462959 (2011 DU) 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 2011 DU 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.