Asteroid 2018 DQ flew past Earth at 0.26 LD

asteroid-2018-dq

Asteroid 2018 DQ flew past Earth at a distance of 0.26 LD / 0.00067 AU (~100 230 km / 62 280 miles) on February 21, 2018. This is the 16th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 5th closest.

2018 DQ belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was discovered on February 22, 2018, one day after its closest approach. 

This asteroid has an estimated diameter between 3.9 and 8.8 m (12.7 – 28.8 feet) and it flew past us at 12:17 UTC on February 21 at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 21.04 km/s.

Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

This is the 7th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance this month, 16th since the start of the year, and one of the 4 smallest. It is also 5th closest since January 2.

Reference

Asteroid 2018 DQ at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS

Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately one-hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center.

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