(65803) Didymos Apollo
Discovered on 11 April 1996 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.
Greek for “twin”, this rapid-rotator Amor possesses a satellite with an orbital period of 11.9 hr. Suspicions arose in the Goldstone delay-Doppler echoes, and these were confirmed with the optical light curve analysis, along with Arecibo radar imaging on 2003 Nov. 23. The name was suggested by J. Montani.Naming citation (20040713/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Didymos is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Didymos is 1.31 au from the Sun and 1.31 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 65803 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 GT |
| Orbit class | Apollo · near-Earth · potentially hazardous |
| Diameter | 0.780 km (#17,420 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Rotation period | 2.26 hours |
| Spectral type | S |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 18.11 |
| Orbital period | 2.11 years |
| Semi-major axis | 1.64 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.01 – 2.27 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.383 |
| Inclination | 3.41° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.0396 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.