SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 PF1

2020 PF1

2020 PF1 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.318 AU once every 3.53 yr.

Amor Observations: 34
Orbital Period · P
3.53 yr
v(q)
35.5 km/s
v(Q)
10.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.04 km
TJ
3.37
Eccentricity · e
0.5346

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.079 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.557 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.478 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.318 AU gives an orbital period of 3.53 yr, or about 1,289 days.

The high eccentricity (0.535) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 1.85° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.8 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 = 24.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.04 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 34 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7406 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
2.318 AU
Eccentricity
0.5346
Perihelion
1.079 AU
Aphelion
3.557203 AU
Inclination
1.85°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
223.85°

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
2027-Oct-25 18:17 0.258492 AU
38669783 km
15.37 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
24.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.74056
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

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