Key Facts
- Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.50 km diameter)
- Will pass within 21,996,310 km of Earth in 2072
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Dionysus is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Dionysus as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.
Dionysus orbits the sun every 1,190 days (3.26 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 3.39 AU from the sun. Dionysus is about 1.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.
The rotation of Dionysus has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.71 hours.
Dionysus's spectral type None (Tholen) / Cb (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
Close Approaches
Dionysus's orbit is 0.02 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.
Dionysus has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2072 | 21,996,310 | 14.504 |
| June 18, 2085 | 4,188,344 | 11.042 |
| June 23, 2147 | 7,028,031 | 10.684 |
| July 22, 2196 | 24,910,556 | 10.817 |
Images and Observations
Dionysus's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 27, 1984. It was last officially observed on Aug. 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,018 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 Dionysus:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.2 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.541
- Inclination: 13.53°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 82.06°
- Argument of Periapsis: 204.3°
- Mean Anomaly: 10.67°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 1.50000 km
- Magnitude: 16.54
- Albedo: 0.16
- Spectral type (SMASS): Cb
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,190 days (3.26 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.11 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 3.39 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU
- Rotation Period: 2.71 hours
- Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Dionysus 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 Dionysus 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.
