SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 GL

2020 GL

2020 GL belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.823 AU it takes 2.46 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 72
Orbital Period · P
2.46 yr
v(q)
39.4 km/s
v(Q)
12.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.09 km
TJ
3.8
Eccentricity · e
0.5234

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.869 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.777 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.908 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.823 AU gives an orbital period of 2.46 yr, or about 899 days.

The high eccentricity (0.523) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 21.06° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 39.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.3 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 = 23.1 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.09 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 72 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4699 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 8 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

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
1.823 AU
Eccentricity
0.5234
Perihelion
0.869 AU
Aphelion
2.777158 AU
Inclination
21.06°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458944.5
Mean Anomaly
337.08°

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

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
23.1

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.46992
Condition
8
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . 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.