SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 SP1

2020 SP1

2020 SP1 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.335 AU it takes 1.54 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 58
Orbital Period · P
1.54 yr
v(q)
42 km/s
v(Q)
15.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.09 km
TJ
4.8
Eccentricity · e
0.453

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.73 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.94 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.21 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.335 AU gives an orbital period of 1.54 yr, or about 563 days.

The high eccentricity (0.453) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 6.69° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 42 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.8 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 = 23.1 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.09 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 58 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4281 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
1.335 AU
Eccentricity
0.453
Perihelion
0.73 AU
Aphelion
1.939755 AU
Inclination
6.69°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
298.1°

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
2031-Mar-09 08:34 0.215307 AU
32209434 km
21.14 km/s
2040-Sep-24 18:14 0.232525 AU
34785283 km
22.67 km/s
2048-Mar-01 00:58 0.326787 AU
48886661 km
26.19 km/s
2057-Sep-16 22:03 0.055130 AU
8247311 km
17.94 km/s
2068-Mar-19 18:27 0.072684 AU
10873322 km
14.54 km/s
2074-Sep-07 04:32 0.047063 AU
7040459 km
13.24 km/s
2077-Oct-04 08:02 0.345554 AU
51694155 km
28.25 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
23.1

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.42812
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

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