A/2020 M4

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Hyperbolic Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

A/2020 M4 is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit not bound to the sun. NASA JPL has not classified A/2020 M4 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

A/2020 M4 orbits the sun every days ( years), coming as close as 5.80 AU and reaching as far as -7257.80 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, A/2020 M4 is probably between 4.023 to 8.996 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

A/2020 M4's orbit is 5.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

A/2020 M4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 13, 2020. It was last officially observed on July 13, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 45 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of A/2020 M4 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of A/2020 M4 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.