SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 DC3

2020 DC3

2020 DC3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.01 AU it takes 2.85 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 137
Orbital Period · P
2.85 yr
v(q)
70.1 km/s
v(Q)
6.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.14 km
TJ
3.27
Eccentricity · e
0.8352

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.331 AU) and its farthest (3.689 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 3.358 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 2.85 yr (1,041 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 2.01 AU.

The high eccentricity (0.835) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 3.62° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 70.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 6.3 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 = 21.95 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.14 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 137 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4686 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 1 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
2.01 AU
Eccentricity
0.8352
Perihelion
0.331 AU
Aphelion
3.688752 AU
Inclination
3.62°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
90.43°

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
2028-Jun-17 09:57 0.268249 AU
40129424 km
36.59 km/s
2040-Feb-13 04:22 0.237243 AU
35491085 km
21.73 km/s
2048-Jun-13 00:13 0.361043 AU
54011298 km
39.58 km/s
2057-Mar-14 05:35 0.392621 AU
58735278 km
40.96 km/s
2065-Jul-08 02:46 0.185594 AU
27764439 km
23.84 km/s
2077-Feb-22 20:08 0.051198 AU
7659140 km
27.86 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
21.95

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.46855
Condition
1
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.