1999 RD32 orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.6–4.7 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,571 days; semi-major axis of 2.64 AU). Its orbit has a high eccentricity of 0.77 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The asteroid's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in January 1995.[3] It is known that 1999 RD32 passed 0.0093 AU (1,390,000 km; 860,000 mi) from Earth on 27 August 1969.[10] During the 1969 close approach the asteroid reached about apparent magnitude 8.8.[11] The similarly sized 4179 Toutatis also reached that brightness in September 2004. It passed less than 0.007 AU (1,000,000 km; 650,000 mi) from asteroid 29 Amphitrite on 17 January 1939.[1]
Areciboradar observations on 5–6 March 2012 showed that 1999 RD32 is approximately 5 kilometers (3 mi) in diameter[5] and has an estimated albedo of only 0.04.[5] Other sources calculate a smaller diameter of 1.63 kilometers based on a dated assumption, that the object is a stony rather than a carbonaceous asteroid.[4] The two visible lobes suggest that 1999 RD32 is a tight binary asteroid or contact binary.[5] About 10–15% of near-Earth asteroids larger than 200 meters are expected to be contact binary asteroids with two lobes in mutual contact.[12]
(A) List includes near-Earth approaches of less than 5 lunar distances (LD) of objects with H brighter than 18. (B)Nominal geocentric distance from the Earth's center to the object's center (Earth radius≈0.017 LD). (C) Diameter: estimated, theoretical mean-diameter based on H and albedo range between X and Y. (D) Reference: data source from the JPL SBDB, with AU converted into LD (1 AU≈390 LD) (E) Color codes: unobserved at close approach observed during close approach upcoming approaches