8478 (1987 DO6) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1987 DO6 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
1987 DO6 orbits the sun every 1,960 days (5.37 years), coming as close as 2.76 AU and reaching as far as 3.37 AU from the sun. 1987 DO6 is about 23.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.
1987 DO6's orbit is 1.77 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.
1987 DO6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 26, 1950. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,932 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 8478 (1987 DO6) 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.