2020 KG3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2020 KG3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 22,223,693 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 KG3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 KG3 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 KG3 orbits the sun every 436 days (1.19 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.35 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 KG3 is probably between 0.044 to 0.099 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 KG3's orbit is 0.03 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 KG3 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 31, 2020 22,223,693 11.611
June 3, 2026 20,011,938 13.248
Nov. 27, 2051 9,961,507 13.869
Nov. 22, 2057 13,572,214 12.053
May 31, 2063 25,060,113 11.450
June 3, 2069 18,384,741 12.739
Nov. 29, 2094 19,240,380 15.011
Nov. 24, 2100 6,220,961 12.587
May 31, 2106 28,045,859 11.335
June 4, 2112 18,258,151 12.659
Nov. 27, 2137 7,218,126 13.555
Nov. 23, 2143 17,825,464 11.848
June 2, 2149 22,336,043 11.642
June 5, 2155 20,411,979 13.248
Nov. 28, 2180 11,379,398 14.054
Nov. 23, 2186 12,174,526 12.139
June 1, 2192 25,699,980 11.434
June 4, 2198 18,691,957 12.730

Images and Observations

2020 KG3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 3, 2020. It was last officially observed on May 31, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 40 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 KG3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.126 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1994
  • Inclination: 22.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 64.03°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 287.97°
  • Mean Anomaly: 186.82°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.057 km
  • Magnitude: 23.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 436 days (1.19 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.10 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2020 KG3 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 KG3 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.