SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 AN

2020 AN

2020 AN belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.773 AU it takes 2.36 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 23
Orbital Period · P
2.36 yr
v(q)
46.1 km/s
v(Q)
10.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.23 km
TJ
3.81
Eccentricity · e
0.6193

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.675 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.871 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.196 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.773 AU gives an orbital period of 2.36 yr, or about 862 days.

The high eccentricity (0.619) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 16.37° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 46.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.8 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 20.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.23 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 23 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3774 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 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
1.773 AU
Eccentricity
0.6193
Perihelion
0.675 AU
Aphelion
2.871019 AU
Inclination
16.37°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
216.33°

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
2027-Jun-05 07:43 0.307421 AU
45989590 km
18.27 km/s
2034-Aug-02 13:36 0.287461 AU
43003500 km
23.00 km/s
2039-Jan-25 23:32 0.355729 AU
53216333 km
27.75 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
20.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.37742
Condition
6
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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