Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 28,104,098 km of Earth in 2019
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2020 BN7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 BN7 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 BN7 orbits the sun every 340 days (0.93 years), coming as close as 0.83 AU and reaching as far as 1.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 BN7 is probably between 0.030 to 0.135 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2020 BN7's orbit is 0.07 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 BN7 has 38 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| July 22, 2019 | 28,104,098 | 6.817 |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | 20,580,597 | 4.988 |
| Aug. 15, 2032 | 28,845,935 | 6.115 |
| Jan. 23, 2033 | 16,799,129 | 5.195 |
| May 11, 2033 | 23,251,987 | 5.328 |
| Dec. 23, 2045 | 11,656,811 | 5.252 |
| June 13, 2046 | 25,492,523 | 6.578 |
| Dec. 3, 2058 | 13,212,027 | 5.955 |
| July 7, 2059 | 27,153,104 | 6.890 |
| March 14, 2060 | 24,661,916 | 6.543 |
| Nov. 25, 2071 | 24,093,643 | 8.404 |
| July 30, 2072 | 28,516,838 | 6.655 |
| Feb. 12, 2073 | 19,405,140 | 4.997 |
| Sept. 6, 2085 | 28,260,844 | 4.852 |
| Jan. 5, 2086 | 13,715,395 | 5.247 |
| May 31, 2086 | 24,445,467 | 6.169 |
| Dec. 11, 2098 | 10,985,860 | 5.424 |
| June 26, 2099 | 26,336,279 | 6.810 |
| March 15, 2100 | 29,747,258 | 8.197 |
| Nov. 29, 2111 | 17,418,227 | 6.945 |
| July 19, 2112 | 27,896,479 | 6.846 |
| March 8, 2113 | 21,502,571 | 5.073 |
| Aug. 22, 2125 | 28,852,068 | 5.776 |
| Jan. 18, 2126 | 15,885,637 | 5.232 |
| May 19, 2126 | 23,533,748 | 5.664 |
| Dec. 20, 2138 | 10,995,380 | 5.269 |
| June 18, 2139 | 25,623,002 | 6.648 |
| Dec. 3, 2151 | 13,383,840 | 6.067 |
| July 9, 2152 | 27,238,163 | 6.892 |
| March 16, 2153 | 24,037,258 | 6.250 |
| Aug. 13, 2165 | 28,887,355 | 6.212 |
| Jan. 28, 2166 | 17,522,405 | 5.166 |
| May 8, 2166 | 22,857,018 | 5.196 |
| Dec. 27, 2178 | 11,808,528 | 5.232 |
| June 11, 2179 | 25,015,460 | 6.466 |
| Dec. 7, 2191 | 11,782,963 | 5.714 |
| July 4, 2192 | 26,820,536 | 6.869 |
| March 17, 2193 | 26,168,567 | 7.040 |
Images and Observations
2020 BN7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 23, 2020. It was last officially observed on March 5, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 29 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2020 BN7 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.729 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 87,090 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2020 BN7.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2020 BN7:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9524 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1241
- Inclination: 8.24°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 97.84°
- Argument of Periapsis: 197.98°
- Mean Anomaly: 166.47°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.083 km
- Magnitude: 23.8
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 340 days (0.93 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.47 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.07 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.83 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2020 BN7 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 BN7 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.
