Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,175,551 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 OM is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 OM 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 OM orbits the sun every 219 days (0.60 years), coming as close as 0.38 AU and reaching as far as 1.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 OM is probably between 0.011 to 0.024 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 OM's orbit is 0.02 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 OM has 35 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 19, 2020 3,175,551 9.498
July 20, 2023 3,244,902 9.485
July 21, 2026 3,488,798 9.461
July 22, 2029 3,959,262 9.426
July 24, 2032 4,754,831 9.436
Aug. 6, 2044 13,376,629 10.891
Aug. 9, 2047 18,187,524 12.027
Aug. 10, 2050 24,006,885 13.433
July 6, 2081 26,718,131 14.759
July 6, 2084 19,827,936 13.211
July 7, 2087 13,851,754 11.898
July 15, 2099 3,142,982 9.757
July 16, 2102 3,022,292 9.727
July 16, 2105 3,100,941 9.749
July 15, 2108 3,519,892 9.843
July 13, 2111 4,835,990 10.088
July 11, 2114 7,426,081 10.559
July 8, 2117 11,661,048 11.399
July 7, 2120 17,019,480 12.534
July 7, 2123 23,567,660 13.972
Aug. 12, 2155 26,594,045 13.827
Aug. 11, 2158 20,516,253 12.364
Aug. 9, 2161 15,666,978 11.216
Aug. 6, 2164 11,966,730 10.385
Aug. 3, 2167 9,293,553 9.873
July 31, 2170 7,411,044 9.599
July 27, 2173 5,954,224 9.465
July 25, 2176 4,948,412 9.425
July 24, 2179 4,219,936 9.431
July 22, 2182 3,820,050 9.447
July 22, 2185 3,802,292 9.454
July 23, 2188 4,201,703 9.447
July 25, 2191 4,882,789 9.445
July 28, 2194 5,999,999 9.479
July 31, 2197 7,454,603 9.621

Images and Observations

2020 OM's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 18, 2020. It was last officially observed on July 19, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 23 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 OM:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7112 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4612
  • Inclination: 11.91°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 117.21°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 3.84°
  • Mean Anomaly: 261.02°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.014 km
  • Magnitude: 26.93

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 219 days (0.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 35.33 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.38 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 OM 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.