Asteroid · 65803
Didymos
The parent of Dimorphos
DART targeted Dimorphos, the smaller body in the Didymos binary system. ESA’s Hera mission is designed to study the system after that impact.

Measurements
- Effective diameter
- 0.78 km
- Semimajor axis
- 1.643 AU
- Orbital period
- 769.024 Earth days
Orbit, physical values and uncertainties
- eccentricity
- .3831233242624545 ± 1.0416E-10
- semi-major axis
- 1.642709608529702 au ± 9.9148E-11
- perihelion distance
- 1.013349242511927 au ± 1.733E-10
- inclination; angle with respect to x-y ecliptic plane
- 3.413876519313629 deg ± 1.482E-8
- longitude of the ascending node
- 72.9858236207145 deg ± 1.9715E-7
- argument of perihelion
- 319.5807001349104 deg ± 2.1543E-7
- mean anomaly
- 260.8612886320632 deg ± 7.0015E-8
- time of perihelion passage
- 2461412.277780167719 TDB ± 1.6738E-7
- sidereal orbital period
- 769.0235207660371 d ± 6.9623E-8
- mean motion
- .4681261239466357 deg/d ± 4.2381E-11
- aphelion distance
- 2.272069974547477 au ± 1.3713E-10
- absolute magnitude
- 18.11
- diameter
- 0.78 km ± 0.03
- extent
- 0.797 x 0.783 x 0.761 km ± 6% x 6% x 10%
- bulk density
- 2.17 g/cm^3 ± 0.35
- rotation period
- 2.2593 h
- pole direction
- 78, -71 degrees ± 20 degrees
- SMASSII spectral type
- S
Published JPL orbital elements describe their stated epoch; they are not current positions. Small-body diameters can be effective/model-dependent sizes, not spherical shapes. Missing measurements remain unavailable. Pluto’s diameter uses the New Horizons reference rather than an empty SBDB field. Orbital epoch: JD 2461200.5 TDB.
Object reference ↗Missions & milestones
2 launches · 8 connected events
These are target-related flights and every connected programme record in the production catalogue. A connected event may concern another stage or target of the same journey. Launch outcome does not establish arrival or current operation. This entry covers the binary system; DART struck its moon Dimorphos.
Hera Mars & Deimos Flyby
March 12, 2025 · UTC
Hera
October 7, 2024 · UTC
NASA DART Update Press Briefing
October 11, 2022 · UTC
NASA DART Post-Impact Press Briefing
September 27, 2022 · UTC
NASA DART Impact
September 26, 2022 · UTC
NASA DART Pre-Impact Press Briefing
September 22, 2022 · UTC
DART Technologies Media Teleconference
September 12, 2022 · UTC
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
November 24, 2021 · UTC
DART Pre-Launch News Conference
November 23, 2021 · UTC
DART Launch Preview Briefing
November 4, 2021 · UTC
Complete source cohort: 9,386 records.
