SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 AA3

2020 AA3

2020 AA3 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.35 AU once every 3.60 yr.

Amor Observations: 58
Orbital Period · P
3.60 yr
v(q)
36 km/s
v(Q)
10.5 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.31 km
TJ
3.25
Eccentricity · e
0.5492

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.059 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.641 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.582 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.35 AU gives an orbital period of 3.60 yr, or about 1,316 days.

The high eccentricity (0.549) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 22.34° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.5 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 20.32 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.31 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 58 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5621 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 5 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
2.35 AU
Eccentricity
0.5492
Perihelion
1.059 AU
Aphelion
3.64062 AU
Inclination
22.34°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
291.79°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2055-Dec-09 13:33 0.082585 AU
12354547 km
13.80 km/s
2073-Dec-10 23:51 0.072771 AU
10886319 km
13.66 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
20.32

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.56208
Condition
5
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

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