SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 QY4

2020 QY4

2020 QY4 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.122 AU once every 3.09 yr.

Amor Observations: 45
Orbital Period · P
3.09 yr
v(q)
33 km/s
v(Q)
12.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.07 km
TJ
3.59
Eccentricity · e
0.4456

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.176 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.068 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.892 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.122 AU gives an orbital period of 3.09 yr, or about 1,129 days.

The high eccentricity (0.446) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 3.05° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.7 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 = 23.56 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.07 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 45 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7568 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
2.122 AU
Eccentricity
0.4456
Perihelion
1.176 AU
Aphelion
3.067563 AU
Inclination
3.05°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
307.46°

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
2054-Sep-18 08:12 0.160991 AU
24083867 km
3.81 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
23.56

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.75676
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

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