SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 HB3

2020 HB3

2020 HB3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.511 AU it takes 1.86 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 43
Orbital Period · P
1.86 yr
v(q)
37.3 km/s
v(Q)
15.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.03 km
TJ
4.41
Eccentricity · e
0.4067

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.897 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.126 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.229 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.511 AU gives an orbital period of 1.86 yr, or about 678 days.

The high eccentricity (0.407) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 11.25° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.7 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 = 25.12 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.03 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 43 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5031 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 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
1.511 AU
Eccentricity
0.4067
Perihelion
0.897 AU
Aphelion
2.125524 AU
Inclination
11.25°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
81.3°

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-Sep-20 11:58 0.363047 AU
54311019 km
22.66 km/s
2033-Sep-26 09:40 0.405465 AU
60656647 km
7.36 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
25.12

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.50314
Condition
7
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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