SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 LJ

2020 LJ

2020 LJ is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.468 AU once every 1.78 yr.

Amor Observations: 42
Orbital Period · P
1.78 yr
v(q)
32.9 km/s
v(Q)
18.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.19 km
TJ
4.5
Eccentricity · e
0.2826

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.053 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.883 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.83 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.468 AU gives an orbital period of 1.78 yr, or about 650 days.

An eccentricity of 0.283 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 20.34° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 18.4 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 = 21.33 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.19 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 42 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5484 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
1.468 AU
Eccentricity
0.2826
Perihelion
1.053 AU
Aphelion
1.882857 AU
Inclination
20.34°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
144.52°

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
2029-Jun-23 07:10 0.370518 AU
55428657 km
10.74 km/s
2036-Feb-02 09:47 0.457246 AU
68403023 km
10.31 km/s
2036-Jun-28 22:26 0.292147 AU
43704547 km
17.57 km/s
2045-Jun-18 12:22 0.217486 AU
32535432 km
10.56 km/s
2052-Jul-02 20:40 0.343445 AU
51378580 km
19.97 km/s
2061-Jun-17 07:17 0.129110 AU
19314566 km
10.53 km/s
2077-Jun-17 18:49 0.138072 AU
20655315 km
10.83 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
21.33

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.5484
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

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