2020 UA3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 UA3 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 UA3 orbits the sun every 316 days (0.87 years), coming as close as 0.69 AU and reaching as far as 1.12 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 UA3 is probably between 0.008 to 0.036 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2020 UA3's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2020 UA3 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 3, 2020 | 2,138,636 | 5.956 |
| Aug. 7, 2026 | 12,462,157 | 4.707 |
| July 23, 2032 | 28,575,380 | 12.077 |
| Oct. 31, 2033 | 28,598,526 | 12.172 |
| Oct. 18, 2039 | 11,849,207 | 4.725 |
| July 22, 2045 | 4,557,636 | 5.514 |
| Nov. 1, 2052 | 20,881,352 | 10.588 |
| July 22, 2070 | 25,723,664 | 11.511 |
| Nov. 3, 2077 | 4,664,829 | 7.212 |
| July 21, 2107 | 3,818,228 | 7.013 |
2020 UA3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 15, 2020. It was last officially observed on Nov. 4, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 41 observations used to determine its orbit.
2020 UA3 can be reached with a journey of 314 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.072 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 301,882 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2020 UA3.
The position of 2020 UA3 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.