Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 1,046,942 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 BH is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 BH 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 BH orbits the sun every 542 days (1.48 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 1.62 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 BH is probably between 0.004 to 0.017 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 BH's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2020 BH has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 14, 2020 1,046,942 3.427
Nov. 24, 2022 16,652,058 6.866
Feb. 8, 2066 14,166,825 6.357
Dec. 16, 2068 1,944,480 3.562

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 13 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Jan. 2, 2107 0.00295 0.009311
Jan. 2, 2104 0.00164 0.009316
Jan. 1, 2114 0.00046 0.009309
Jan. 1, 2120 0.00009 0.009312
Jan. 2, 2120 0.00006 0.009303
Jan. 1, 2120 0.00003 0.009309
Dec. 30, 2116 0.00001 0.009305
Jan. 8, 2117 0.00001 0.00931
Dec. 31, 2117 0.00001 0.009303
Jan. 1, 2122 0.00001 0.009311
Dec. 30, 2113 0.00001 0.009312
Jan. 1, 2111 0.00000 0.009319
Jan. 5, 2114 0.00000 0.009317

Images and Observations

2020 BH's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 12, 2020. It was last officially observed on Feb. 25, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 72 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2020 BH can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.63 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 33,257 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

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

Similar Objects

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

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.302 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2423
  • Inclination: 0.6°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 106.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 354.32°
  • Mean Anomaly: 174.0°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.010 km
  • Magnitude: 28.26

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 542 days (1.48 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.13 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.62 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 BH 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.