SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 SY

2020 SY

2020 SY is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.032 AU once every 2.90 yr.

Amor Observations: 56
Orbital Period · P
2.90 yr
v(q)
31.4 km/s
v(Q)
13.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.15 km
TJ
3.5
Eccentricity · e
0.3849

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.25 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.814 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.564 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.032 AU gives an orbital period of 2.90 yr, or about 1,058 days.

An eccentricity of 0.385 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 35.36° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 31.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 13.9 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 = 21.9 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 56 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5804 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
2.032 AU
Eccentricity
0.3849
Perihelion
1.25 AU
Aphelion
2.814117 AU
Inclination
35.36°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
332.74°

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
2049-Oct-02 12:23 0.285203 AU
42665722 km
19.24 km/s
2078-Oct-01 06:38 0.268518 AU
40169703 km
20.50 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
21.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.5804
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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