Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,328,640 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 GH1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 GH1 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 GH1 orbits the sun every 735 days (2.01 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 2.18 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 GH1 is probably between 0.020 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 GH1'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 GH1 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 1, 2020 3,328,640 7.645
April 10, 2022 6,773,814 7.221
April 27, 2024 16,000,298 7.574
May 14, 2026 25,863,073 9.109
March 17, 2139 22,636,009 10.882
March 25, 2141 10,433,574 8.852
April 4, 2143 3,485,459 7.600
April 15, 2145 8,993,110 7.145
May 4, 2147 18,420,088 7.761
May 21, 2149 29,206,286 9.731

Images and Observations

2020 GH1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2020. It was last officially observed on April 7, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 59 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 GH1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.594 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.366
  • Inclination: 9.68°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 188.99°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 17.54°
  • Mean Anomaly: 251.37°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.026 km
  • Magnitude: 25.62

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 735 days (2.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.18 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 GH1 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.