516155 (2016 DP)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 516155 (2016 DP)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 4,787,097 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

516155 (2016 DP) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 DP as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 DP orbits the sun every 378 days (1.03 years), coming as close as 0.54 AU and reaching as far as 1.51 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 DP is probably between 0.248 to 0.555 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2016 DP's orbit is 0.03 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.

2016 DP has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 24, 2025 4,787,097 16.687
April 4, 2045 24,056,750 18.627
Nov. 19, 2053 20,839,214 13.049
Nov. 27, 2054 14,624,611 19.327
April 6, 2073 21,977,808 17.562
Nov. 21, 2081 9,749,459 15.103
Dec. 1, 2082 26,618,652 21.777
April 11, 2100 21,864,094 15.574
Nov. 20, 2107 22,998,097 12.700
Nov. 28, 2108 14,657,025 19.344
April 11, 2126 21,262,994 16.098
Nov. 21, 2133 16,177,843 13.886
Dec. 1, 2134 23,454,285 21.153
April 13, 2151 22,125,181 15.284
Nov. 24, 2158 5,213,339 16.363
April 15, 2176 25,062,860 14.077
Nov. 24, 2183 7,626,998 15.640

Images and Observations

2016 DP's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 18, 2016. It was last officially observed on March 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 361 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 2016 DP:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.023 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.477
  • Inclination: 13.33°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 54.37°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 254.01°
  • Mean Anomaly: 11.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.320 km
  • Magnitude: 20.15

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 378 days (1.03 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.51 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.54 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 516155 (2016 DP) 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 2016 DP 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.