SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 ME3

2020 ME3

2020 ME3 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.486 AU once every 1.81 yr.

Amor Observations: 23
Orbital Period · P
1.81 yr
v(q)
33.5 km/s
v(Q)
17.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
4.52
Eccentricity · e
0.3066

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.03 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.942 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.912 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.486 AU gives an orbital period of 1.81 yr, or about 662 days.

An eccentricity of 0.307 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 3.91° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 17.8 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 = 25.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 23 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6459 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 5 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
1.486 AU
Eccentricity
0.3066
Perihelion
1.03 AU
Aphelion
1.941608 AU
Inclination
3.91°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
86.13°

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
25.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.64586
Condition
5
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.