SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 DC

2018 DC

2018 DC belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.029 AU it takes 1.04 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 43
Orbital Period · P
1.04 yr
v(q)
37.5 km/s
v(Q)
22.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.04 km
TJ
5.92
Eccentricity · e
0.2417

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.781 AU) and its farthest (1.278 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.497 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.04 yr (381 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.029 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.242 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 1.17° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 22.9 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 = 24.7 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.04 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 43 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4339 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 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
1.029 AU
Eccentricity
0.2417
Perihelion
0.781 AU
Aphelion
1.277709 AU
Inclination
1.17°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
262.38°

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
2040-Feb-16 03:09 0.301863 AU
45158004 km
19.88 km/s
2041-Feb-27 07:38 0.022202 AU
3321388 km
11.32 km/s
2045-Sep-23 12:51 0.014408 AU
2155369 km
10.13 km/s
2046-Oct-05 15:52 0.165931 AU
24822885 km
18.59 km/s
2068-Sep-20 04:22 0.014445 AU
2160950 km
7.81 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
24.7

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.43394
Condition
7
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.