SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 VQ3

2020 VQ3

2020 VQ3 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.73 AU once every 2.28 yr.

Amor Observations: 96
Orbital Period · P
2.28 yr
v(q)
32.5 km/s
v(Q)
15.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.1 km
TJ
4.08
Eccentricity · e
0.3457

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.132 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.328 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.196 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.73 AU gives an orbital period of 2.28 yr, or about 831 days.

An eccentricity of 0.346 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 7.72° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.5 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 = 22.85 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.1 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 96 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3875 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 4 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
1.73 AU
Eccentricity
0.3457
Perihelion
1.132 AU
Aphelion
2.328061 AU
Inclination
7.72°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
141.66°

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
2037-Jan-28 09:26 0.402744 AU
60249663 km
1.85 km/s
2045-Nov-28 02:12 0.290501 AU
43458295 km
4.54 km/s
2061-Dec-19 08:19 0.254651 AU
38095297 km
6.45 km/s
2070-Nov-05 02:16 0.418714 AU
62638684 km
3.88 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
22.85

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.38748
Condition
4
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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