2020 BC

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 3,955,223 km of Earth in 2020
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 BC is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 BC as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2020 BC orbits the sun every 484 days (1.33 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 BC is probably between 0.010 to 0.045 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 BC's orbit is 0.02 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2020 BC has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2020 BC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 18, 2020. It was last officially observed on Jan. 24, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 36 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2020 BC can be reached with a journey of 354 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.78 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 2,555 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2020 BC.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2020 BC:

• 3361 Orpheus (1982 HR)
• 66407 (1999 LQ28)
• 87024 (2000 JS66)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 BC is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2020 BC to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.