Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 26,404,928 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 MA4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 MA4 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 MA4 orbits the sun every 292 days (0.80 years), coming as close as 0.44 AU and reaching as far as 1.28 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 MA4 is probably between 0.103 to 0.230 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 MA4's orbit is 0.14 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 MA4 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 1, 2020 26,404,928 12.370
Aug. 4, 2024 24,346,310 12.700
Aug. 6, 2028 22,763,566 13.122
Aug. 7, 2032 21,820,428 13.687
Aug. 8, 2036 21,655,237 14.340
Aug. 8, 2040 22,372,049 15.112
Aug. 8, 2044 24,010,435 15.953
Aug. 8, 2048 26,490,916 16.897
Aug. 7, 2052 29,725,482 17.879
Aug. 2, 2131 27,609,829 12.272
Aug. 5, 2135 25,421,813 12.544
Aug. 7, 2139 23,656,330 12.904
Aug. 9, 2143 22,427,405 13.431
Aug. 10, 2147 21,921,426 14.021
Aug. 10, 2151 22,240,863 14.748
Aug. 11, 2155 23,409,146 15.522
Aug. 11, 2159 25,453,739 16.424
Aug. 10, 2163 28,258,499 17.353

Images and Observations

2020 MA4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 3, 2016. It was last officially observed on June 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 61 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 MA4:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8609 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4913
  • Inclination: 15.34°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 287.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 171.27°
  • Mean Anomaly: 210.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.133 km
  • Magnitude: 22.06

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 292 days (0.80 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.07 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.28 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.44 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 MA4 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 MA4 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.