(55555) DNA Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 19 December 2001 by Juels, C. W., Holvorcem, P. R. at Fountain Hills.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, the sine qua non of carbon-based life, is self-replicating, plays a central role in cellular protein synthesis via RNA and is responsible for the transmission of hereditary characteristics. Structurally, DNA consists of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix joined by hydrogen bonds.Naming citation (20040306/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where DNA is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: DNA is 2.64 au from the Sun and 2.18 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 55555 |
| Provisional designation | 2001 YR2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.46 km (#9,786 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.297 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.73 |
| Orbital period | 4.10 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.56 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.23 – 2.90 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.131 |
| Inclination | 14.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.23 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.