SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2009 DN4

2009 DN4

2009 DN4 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.226 AU it takes 1.36 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 21
Orbital Period · P
1.36 yr
v(q)
34.3 km/s
v(Q)
21.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
5.19
Eccentricity · e
0.2387

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.933 AU) and its farthest (1.519 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.586 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.36 yr (496 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.226 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.239 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 3.13° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 34.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 21.1 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 26 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 21 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.3775 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 8 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
1.226 AU
Eccentricity
0.2387
Perihelion
0.933 AU
Aphelion
1.518646 AU
Inclination
3.13°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2454883.5
Mean Anomaly
325.56°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2039-Feb-07 16:00 0.259888 AU
38878702 km
14.09 km/s
2039-Aug-28 23:25 0.407050 AU
60893743 km
6.84 km/s
2061-Dec-06 14:42 0.421734 AU
63090544 km
7.34 km/s
2062-Jul-05 10:43 0.259184 AU
38773334 km
15.20 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
26.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.37755
Condition
8
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Keep exploring

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