Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 6,347,800 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 GQ is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 GQ 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 GQ orbits the sun every 311 days (0.85 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 GQ is probably between 0.009 to 0.041 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 GQ'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 GQ has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 31, 2020 6,347,800 4.344
July 21, 2020 25,962,306 3.311
May 30, 2026 20,094,989 6.714
March 11, 2037 18,504,176 7.947
March 15, 2060 5,004,235 5.261
May 30, 2072 22,455,526 7.337
March 12, 2083 27,673,384 9.828
March 27, 2089 5,228,057 4.363
July 25, 2089 26,468,489 3.702
May 30, 2095 26,199,238 8.287
March 21, 2106 3,274,684 4.714
Aug. 7, 2106 28,428,208 4.713
May 29, 2112 20,644,468 6.761

Images and Observations

2020 GQ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 2, 2020. It was last officially observed on April 14, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 30 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2020 GQ can be reached with a journey of 194 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.807 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 129,559 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

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

Similar Objects

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

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8987 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1704
  • Inclination: 6.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 187.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 206.69°
  • Mean Anomaly: 167.5°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.025 km
  • Magnitude: 26.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 311 days (0.85 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 GQ 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.