(185851) 2000 DP₁₀₇

The asteroid was discovered on 29 February 2000, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site, near Socorro, New Mexico.^[1]

The binary nature of this asteroid was suggested from radar observations taken with the Goldstone radar antenna on September 22 and 23, 2000, based on an observing proposal by J.-L. Margot and observations by S. J. Ostro and colleagues.^[14] Confirming observations were obtained with the Arecibo telescope from September 30 to October 7, 2000.^[15]

2000 DP₁₀₇ orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.9–1.9 AU once every 19 months (583 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.38 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2] The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation, as no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made.^[1]

The 800-meter-diameter primary and the 300-meter-diameter secondary orbit each other with a separation of 2.6 kilometers and a period of 1.76 days.^[16]

The primary is spheroidal and is spinning at a rate near the breakup point for strengthless bodies. These two features were observed in multiple binary systems, suggesting that near-Earth asteroid binaries form by a mechanism involving spin-up and mass shedding.^[16] Currently the most generally accepted spin-up mechanism is the YORP effect.

The asteroid is characterized as both a carbonaceous C-type^[12] and metallic M-type asteroid.^[11]

The density of the primary was calculated using the orbital elements of the binary system, the primary-to-secondary mass ratio, and estimates of the primary size. The primary has a low density of 1.7 g/cm³, which may indicate a "rubble pile" structure containing rocks and voids.

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 20 May 2008.^[17] As of 2018, it has not been named.^[1]

• List of minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft

• Lightcurve plot of (185851) 2000 DP107, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2008)
• 2000 DP107
• Arecibo Planetary Science website
• Binary Asteroids in the Near-Earth Object Population, Margot et al., Science, 2002 (subscription)
• Asteroids with Satellites, Robert Johnston, johnstonsarchive.net
• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• (185851) 2000 DP107 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
• (185851) 2000 DP107 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
• (185851) 2000 DP107 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters