484462 (2008 CM20)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 484462 (2008 CM20)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,243,429 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

484462 (2008 CM20) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 CM20 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.

2008 CM20 orbits the sun every 545 days (1.49 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 1.60 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 CM20 is probably between 0.136 to 0.303 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 CM20's orbit is 0.08 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.

2008 CM20 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 28, 2020 28,243,429 14.331
Feb. 3, 2096 29,911,809 11.141
Feb. 2, 2099 18,430,697 11.343
Feb. 1, 2102 12,813,208 11.976
Jan. 30, 2105 17,995,840 13.022
Jan. 29, 2108 29,695,693 14.531
Feb. 3, 2187 20,921,223 11.252
Feb. 2, 2190 13,499,869 11.768
Jan. 31, 2193 15,536,394 12.661
Jan. 30, 2196 25,445,121 13.980

Images and Observations

2008 CM20's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 8, 2008. It was last officially observed on Jan. 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 229 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 2008 CM20:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.306 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2229
  • Inclination: 21.07°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 306.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 226.7°
  • Mean Anomaly: 131.41°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.175 km
  • Magnitude: 21.46

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 545 days (1.49 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.07 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.60 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 484462 (2008 CM20) 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.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2008 CM20 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.