6178 (1986 DA)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest (2.30 km diameter)
• Will pass within 29,624,848 km of Earth in 2038
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

6178 (1986 DA) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 1986 DA as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

1986 DA orbits the sun every 1,720 days (4.71 years), coming as close as 1.17 AU and reaching as far as 4.46 AU from the sun. 1986 DA is about 2.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1986 DA has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.50 hours.

Close Approaches

1986 DA's orbit is 0.18 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.

1986 DA has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

1986 DA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 17, 1977. It was last officially observed on Dec. 25, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,115 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 1986 DA:

• 266 Aline (A887 KA)
• 403 Cyane (A895 KA)
• 441 Bathilde (A898 XA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 6178 (1986 DA) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1986 DA to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.