SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 VB3

2020 VB3

2020 VB3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.041 AU it takes 1.06 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 26
Orbital Period · P
1.06 yr
v(q)
34.9 km/s
v(Q)
24.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0 km
TJ
5.88
Eccentricity · e
0.1779

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.856 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.226 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.37 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.041 AU gives an orbital period of 1.06 yr, or about 388 days.

An eccentricity of 0.178 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 4.39° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 34.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 24.4 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 = 29.7 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 26 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4447 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
1.041 AU
Eccentricity
0.1779
Perihelion
0.856 AU
Aphelion
1.226194 AU
Inclination
4.39°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
20.45°

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
2036-Oct-25 20:03 0.420075 AU
62842336 km
18.14 km/s
2037-Nov-13 13:50 0.030492 AU
4561475 km
6.73 km/s
2038-Sep-04 10:10 0.213967 AU
32008945 km
4.82 km/s
2039-Mar-09 02:21 0.137503 AU
20570199 km
4.46 km/s
2039-Jun-18 02:58 0.159226 AU
23819880 km
3.81 km/s
2040-May-19 17:43 0.184481 AU
27597949 km
10.69 km/s
2054-Oct-31 12:43 0.262394 AU
39253566 km
14.89 km/s
2055-Nov-19 22:19 0.004623 AU
691539 km
4.10 km/s
2058-May-24 20:28 0.268268 AU
40132354 km
13.98 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
29.7

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.44475
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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