162162 (1999 DB7)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162162 (1999 DB7)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 20,476,244 km of Earth in 2044
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162162 (1999 DB7) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 DB7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1999 DB7 orbits the sun every 484 days (1.33 years), coming as close as 0.97 AU and reaching as far as 1.44 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 DB7 is probably between 0.171 to 0.764 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

1999 DB7's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

1999 DB7 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 24, 2044 20,476,244 6.624
Feb. 28, 2048 977,187 6.999
April 3, 2052 23,953,295 6.850
Feb. 21, 2091 8,596,308 8.004
March 10, 2095 11,212,268 6.401
Feb. 17, 2138 16,409,137 9.128
March 4, 2142 5,568,500 6.609
Feb. 13, 2177 25,776,922 10.663
March 3, 2181 4,203,278 6.711

Images and Observations

1999 DB7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 26, 1999. It was last officially observed on Nov. 28, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 266 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

1999 DB7 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.878 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 806 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 1999 DB7.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 1999 DB7:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.206 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1949
  • Inclination: 10.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 157.6°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 29.9°
  • Mean Anomaly: 172.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.468 km
  • Magnitude: 20.04

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 484 days (1.33 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.44 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.97 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 162162 (1999 DB7) 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 1999 DB7 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.