SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 BP6

2020 BP6

2020 BP6 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.373 AU once every 3.66 yr.

Amor Observations: 42
Orbital Period · P
3.66 yr
v(q)
31.6 km/s
v(Q)
11.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.1 km
TJ
3.39
Eccentricity · e
0.4548

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.294 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.452 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.158 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.373 AU gives an orbital period of 3.66 yr, or about 1,335 days.

The high eccentricity (0.455) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 4.34° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 31.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.8 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 = 22.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.1 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 42 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.8155 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
2.373 AU
Eccentricity
0.4548
Perihelion
1.294 AU
Aphelion
3.45224 AU
Inclination
4.34°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
254.57°

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
2031-Feb-28 04:11 0.303972 AU
45473607 km
2.75 km/s
2042-Mar-20 05:11 0.375369 AU
56154385 km
2.39 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
22.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.8155
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.

Keep exploring

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