Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 875,766 km of Earth in 2020
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2020 HF is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 HF 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 HF orbits the sun every 303 days (0.83 years), coming as close as 0.64 AU and reaching as far as 1.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 HF is probably between 0.016 to 0.071 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2020 HF'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 HF has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| April 18, 2020 | 875,766 | 7.935 |
| April 16, 2025 | 27,101,858 | 13.392 |
| Jan. 12, 2029 | 23,247,192 | 12.632 |
| Jan. 11, 2034 | 2,175,809 | 7.325 |
| April 18, 2044 | 8,008,983 | 9.410 |
| Jan. 14, 2048 | 24,886,952 | 12.950 |
| April 18, 2058 | 7,879,388 | 9.361 |
| Jan. 12, 2062 | 17,326,691 | 11.359 |
| April 17, 2072 | 13,700,933 | 10.585 |
| Jan. 12, 2076 | 17,183,981 | 11.354 |
| April 18, 2086 | 9,696,095 | 9.741 |
| Jan. 12, 2090 | 19,545,649 | 11.846 |
| Feb. 26, 2095 | 19,844,864 | 6.206 |
| April 18, 2100 | 17,297,871 | 11.310 |
| Jan. 13, 2104 | 3,461,400 | 8.379 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 4 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| April 16, 2110 | 0.00002 | 0.8897 |
| April 18, 2115 | 0.00002 | 0.8877 |
| April 18, 2067 | 0.00001 | 0.8887 |
| April 20, 2094 | 0.00000 | 0.8935 |
Images and Observations
2020 HF's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 16, 2020. It was last officially observed on April 18, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 24 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2020 HF can be reached with a journey of 330 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.368 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 86,381 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2020 HF.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2020 HF:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.8821 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2782
- Inclination: 0.31°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 268.56°
- Argument of Periapsis: 73.28°
- Mean Anomaly: 292.41°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.044 km
- Magnitude: 25.2
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 303 days (0.83 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.67 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.13 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.64 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2020 HF 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 HF 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.
