SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 PM4

2020 PM4

2020 PM4 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.782 AU it takes 2.38 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 213
Orbital Period · P
2.38 yr
v(q)
37.5 km/s
v(Q)
13.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.15 km
TJ
3.94
Eccentricity · e
0.4782

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.93 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.634 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.704 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.782 AU gives an orbital period of 2.38 yr, or about 869 days.

The high eccentricity (0.478) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 5.5° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 13.3 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 = 21.84 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.15 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 213 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3564 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
1.782 AU
Eccentricity
0.4782
Perihelion
0.93 AU
Aphelion
2.634152 AU
Inclination
5.5°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
175.0°

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
2032-Apr-23 09:35 0.330853 AU
49494838 km
19.65 km/s
2039-Aug-31 15:22 0.139346 AU
20845847 km
14.81 km/s
2051-May-12 15:51 0.109226 AU
16339982 km
11.84 km/s
2058-Sep-15 21:06 0.399096 AU
59703906 km
22.54 km/s
2070-Jun-30 09:43 0.108952 AU
16298950 km
8.48 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
21.84

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.35641
Condition
5
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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