Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 1,964,117 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 UQ is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 UQ 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 UQ orbits the sun every 514 days (1.41 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 UQ 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 UQ's orbit is 0.01 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 UQ has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 20, 2020 1,964,117 15.725
April 28, 2025 16,127,786 12.752
Oct. 26, 2072 17,580,535 12.215
May 7, 2077 9,970,900 17.075
May 2, 2188 12,800,757 13.532

Images and Observations

2020 UQ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 16, 2020. It was last officially observed on Oct. 19, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 30 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 UQ:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2459139.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.255 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.515
  • Inclination: 5.76°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 199.74°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 285.75°
  • Mean Anomaly: 318.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.014 km
  • Magnitude: 26.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 514 days (1.41 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.90 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 UQ 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.