SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 BU12

2020 BU12

2020 BU12 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.672 AU once every 2.16 yr.

Amor Observations: 88
Orbital Period · P
2.16 yr
v(q)
32.3 km/s
v(Q)
16.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.11 km
TJ
4.15
Eccentricity · e
0.3247

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.129 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.215 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.086 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.672 AU gives an orbital period of 2.16 yr, or about 790 days.

An eccentricity of 0.325 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 14.38° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 16.4 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 = 22.6 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.11 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 88 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4424 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
1.672 AU
Eccentricity
0.3247
Perihelion
1.129 AU
Aphelion
2.214898 AU
Inclination
14.38°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
350.14°

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
2033-Feb-08 03:38 0.284814 AU
42607520 km
7.73 km/s
2046-Feb-27 14:03 0.412259 AU
61673054 km
7.30 km/s
2061-Jan-28 21:11 0.279176 AU
41764177 km
12.32 km/s
2074-Jan-29 11:38 0.173336 AU
25930717 km
9.30 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
22.6

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.44242
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.

Keep exploring

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