SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 VD3

2020 VD3

2020 VD3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.448 AU it takes 1.74 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 24
Orbital Period · P
1.74 yr
v(q)
35 km/s
v(Q)
17.5 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
4.58
Eccentricity · e
0.3336

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.965 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.931 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.966 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.448 AU gives an orbital period of 1.74 yr, or about 636 days.

An eccentricity of 0.334 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 9.45° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35 km/s at perihelion and falls to 17.5 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 = 23.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 24 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4883 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

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
1.448 AU
Eccentricity
0.3336
Perihelion
0.965 AU
Aphelion
1.931053 AU
Inclination
9.45°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
110.93°

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
2027-Jul-08 10:04 0.151711 AU
22695708 km
7.79 km/s
2034-Jun-25 16:14 0.177388 AU
26536934 km
13.40 km/s
2041-Jun-15 07:45 0.296126 AU
44299887 km
19.32 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
23.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.48833
Condition
7
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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