SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 DN

2021 DN

2021 DN belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.922 AU it takes 2.66 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 44
Orbital Period · P
2.66 yr
v(q)
42.2 km/s
v(Q)
10.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
3.69
Eccentricity · e
0.5885

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.791 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.053 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.262 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.922 AU gives an orbital period of 2.66 yr, or about 973 days.

The high eccentricity (0.589) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 2.95° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 42.2 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.9 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 = 23.86 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 44 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5901 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
1.922 AU
Eccentricity
0.5885
Perihelion
0.791 AU
Aphelion
3.053097 AU
Inclination
2.95°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2459265.5
Mean Anomaly
19.12°

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

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
23.86

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.59007
Condition
8
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . 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.

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