SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 VT4

2020 VT4

2020 VT4 is an Aten-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbit lies mostly inside that of Earth, with a semi-major axis of 0.908 AU and a period of 0.87 yr.

Aten Observations: 34
Orbital Period · P
0.87 yr
v(q)
38.4 km/s
v(Q)
25.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
6.54
Eccentricity · e
0.203

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.724 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.092 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.368 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 0.908 AU gives an orbital period of 0.87 yr, or about 316 days.

An eccentricity of 0.203 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 10.17° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 25.4 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 = 28.61 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.01 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 34 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4143 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 5 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
0.908 AU
Eccentricity
0.203
Perihelion
0.724 AU
Aphelion
1.092324 AU
Inclination
10.17°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
262.21°

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
2026-Nov-22 13:27 0.341926 AU
51151448 km
17.51 km/s
2027-Jul-27 09:25 0.319979 AU
47868209 km
9.05 km/s
2028-Mar-11 13:42 0.169228 AU
25316164 km
9.18 km/s
2033-Nov-27 05:54 0.119504 AU
17877486 km
6.14 km/s
2034-May-11 00:08 0.235351 AU
35207993 km
8.64 km/s
2039-Nov-17 17:42 0.192435 AU
28787928 km
13.16 km/s
2040-Jul-02 13:07 0.315131 AU
47142871 km
9.90 km/s
2041-Mar-01 13:43 0.267302 AU
39987855 km
13.44 km/s
2046-Aug-29 04:52 0.289142 AU
43254959 km
6.69 km/s
2047-Jan-30 08:33 0.196934 AU
29460945 km
4.95 km/s
2047-Apr-07 00:17 0.168972 AU
25277857 km
7.08 km/s
2052-Nov-13 11:06 0.019982 AU
2989227 km
8.48 km/s
2053-Jun-07 19:40 0.284354 AU
42538711 km
9.70 km/s
2054-Feb-22 21:18 0.402259 AU
60177119 km
18.02 km/s
2058-Nov-27 05:12 0.448124 AU
67038471 km
21.13 km/s
2059-Aug-21 04:49 0.296473 AU
44351784 km
7.36 km/s
2060-Mar-31 22:38 0.156883 AU
23469427 km
7.06 km/s
2065-Nov-14 11:40 0.047411 AU
7092615 km
9.92 km/s
2066-Jun-17 00:31 0.290340 AU
43434301 km
9.84 km/s
2067-Feb-26 01:05 0.322226 AU
48204388 km
16.36 km/s
2072-Sep-01 20:57 0.270205 AU
40422133 km
6.38 km/s
2073-Apr-11 21:57 0.167798 AU
25102292 km
7.19 km/s
2078-Nov-16 04:33 0.111359 AU
16659065 km
11.69 km/s
2079-Jun-27 16:26 0.303717 AU
45435420 km
9.86 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
28.61

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.41425
Condition
5
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.