518847 (2010 DM)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 518847 (2010 DM)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 22,613,350 km of Earth in 2076
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

518847 (2010 DM) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 DM as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2010 DM orbits the sun every 1,100 days (3.01 years), coming as close as 0.33 AU and reaching as far as 3.83 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2010 DM is probably between 0.414 to 0.925 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2010 DM'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.

2010 DM has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 12, 2076 22,613,350 24.536
Jan. 15, 2079 9,845,093 27.138
Jan. 19, 2082 5,793,949 29.595
Jan. 23, 2085 18,734,473 32.572
Jan. 29, 2175 22,071,766 34.080
Jan. 23, 2178 4,207,255 30.128
Jan. 17, 2181 16,579,615 26.361

Images and Observations

2010 DM's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 3, 2000. It was last officially observed on Feb. 3, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 98 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 2010 DM:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.081 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.84
  • Inclination: 5.0°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 140.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 221.02°
  • Mean Anomaly: 237.45°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.534 km
  • Magnitude: 19.04

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,100 days (3.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.58 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.83 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.33 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 518847 (2010 DM) 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 2010 DM 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.