2020 FO1

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a football field
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 FO1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 FO1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2020 FO1 orbits the sun every 1,280 days (3.50 years), coming as close as 0.42 AU and reaching as far as 4.19 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 FO1 is probably between 0.153 to 0.342 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

No Close Approaches

2020 FO1's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2020 FO1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 16, 2020. It was last officially observed on April 10, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 58 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2020 FO1:

• 18 Melpomene (A852 MA)
• 80 Sappho (A864 JA)
• 428 Monachia (A897 WA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 FO1 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 FO1 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.