2020 HJ4

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2020 HJ4

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,795,333 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 HJ4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 HJ4 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2020 HJ4 orbits the sun every 1,090 days (2.98 years), coming as close as 0.88 AU and reaching as far as 3.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 HJ4 is probably between 0.249 to 0.557 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2020 HJ4's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2020 HJ4 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 27, 2032 12,795,333 14.881
Oct. 20, 2035 3,142,818 12.435
Oct. 7, 2038 10,383,719 10.641
Sept. 25, 2041 14,825,857 10.116
Sept. 6, 2044 18,807,428 10.275
Aug. 21, 2047 18,567,714 10.217
Aug. 1, 2050 14,347,479 10.183
July 23, 2053 9,565,080 10.497
July 16, 2056 5,102,091 11.248
July 18, 2059 5,518,102 11.153
July 20, 2062 8,031,530 10.779
Aug. 3, 2065 13,802,524 10.012
Aug. 19, 2068 17,532,834 10.089
Sept. 7, 2071 17,664,059 10.095
Sept. 22, 2074 15,197,155 10.022
Oct. 8, 2077 7,946,893 10.598
Oct. 15, 2080 3,289,407 11.787
Oct. 21, 2083 6,649,766 13.151
Oct. 27, 2086 16,144,244 15.245

Images and Observations

2020 HJ4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 4, 2014. It was last officially observed on April 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 72 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 HJ4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.07 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5765
  • Inclination: 1.22°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 105.2°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 233.32°
  • Mean Anomaly: 350.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.322 km
  • Magnitude: 20.14

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,090 days (2.98 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.88 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2020 HJ4 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 HJ4 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.