Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 9,317 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 QG is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 QG 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 QG orbits the sun every 965 days (2.64 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.83 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 QG is probably between 0.003 to 0.006 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 QG's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2020 QG has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 16, 2020 9,317 12.331

Images and Observations

2020 QG's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 16, 2020. It was last officially observed on Aug. 18, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 35 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 QG:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.911 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.481
  • Inclination: 4.74°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 323.45°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 339.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 65.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.004 km
  • Magnitude: 29.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 965 days (2.64 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.54 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.83 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 QG 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.