Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 1,315,196 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 JF1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 JF1 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 JF1 orbits the sun every 909 days (2.49 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.68 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 JF1 is probably between 0.010 to 0.023 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 JF1'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.

2020 JF1 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 15, 2020 1,315,196 9.957
April 29, 2025 19,766,225 12.906
June 13, 2102 17,801,093 9.232
May 17, 2107 1,725,753 9.915
May 16, 2112 1,760,699 9.918

Images and Observations

2020 JF1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 14, 2020. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 42 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 JF1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.837 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4592
  • Inclination: 11.66°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 232.84°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 24.36°
  • Mean Anomaly: 113.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.013 km
  • Magnitude: 27.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 909 days (2.49 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 JF1 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.