SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 RA2

2020 RA2

2020 RA2 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.633 AU once every 2.09 yr.

Amor Observations: 31
Orbital Period · P
2.09 yr
v(q)
34.3 km/s
v(Q)
15.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
4.23
Eccentricity · e
0.3689

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (1.031 AU) and its farthest (2.235 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 1.204 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 2.09 yr (762 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.633 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.369 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 2.74° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 34.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.8 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 = 26 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 31 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.8607 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
1.633 AU
Eccentricity
0.3689
Perihelion
1.031 AU
Aphelion
2.235414 AU
Inclination
2.74°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
257.21°

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
2043-Aug-26 11:18 0.248903 AU
37235318 km
13.37 km/s
2045-Nov-13 23:54 0.153141 AU
22909592 km
10.19 km/s
2070-Dec-02 18:31 0.406925 AU
60875114 km
19.18 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
26.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.86069
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.

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