Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 6,421,506 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 OA5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 OA5 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 OA5 orbits the sun every 312 days (0.85 years), coming as close as 0.73 AU and reaching as far as 1.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 OA5 is probably between 0.011 to 0.025 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 OA5's orbit is 0.04 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 OA5 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 27, 2020 6,421,506 10.220
July 31, 2026 15,152,772 10.998
July 20, 2055 22,950,293 10.593
July 24, 2061 12,246,916 10.166
July 28, 2067 6,550,512 10.232
July 30, 2073 11,970,563 10.729
Aug. 1, 2079 25,092,289 12.051
July 19, 2102 26,304,983 10.824
July 25, 2108 11,656,740 10.150
July 30, 2114 8,076,778 10.427
Aug. 1, 2120 22,405,808 11.733
July 21, 2143 23,965,674 10.661
July 25, 2149 12,399,185 10.162
July 29, 2155 6,607,296 10.235
July 31, 2161 12,198,601 10.727
Aug. 2, 2167 23,435,203 11.847
July 22, 2196 18,628,946 10.367

Images and Observations

2020 OA5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 26, 2020. It was last officially observed on July 27, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 36 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 OA5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9006 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1853
  • Inclination: 20.03°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 303.5°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 165.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 80.52°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.014 km
  • Magnitude: 26.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 312 days (0.85 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.40 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.73 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 OA5 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.