2020 XR
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS 2 |
| Discovery site | Haleakala Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 December 2020 |
| Designations | |
| 2020 XR | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 2020-May-31 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 7.8 years[4] |
| Aphelion | 4.0272 AU (602,460,000 km) (Q) |
| Perihelion | 0.97013 AU (145,129,000 km) (q) |
| 2.4987 AU (373,800,000 km) (a) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.61174 (e) |
| 3.95 yr | |
| 312.19° (M) | |
| Inclination | 13.947° (i) |
| 249.74° (Ω) | |
| 8 December 2020 | |
| 163.01° (ω) | |
| Earth MOID | 0.00085 AU (127,000 km; 0.33 LD) |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.4 AU (210,000,000 km) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| ~390 meters (1,000 feet)[4] | |
| 19.8[2][3] | |
2020 XR is an Apollo near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid roughly 390 meters (1,000 feet) in diameter. With a 5-day observation arc it was briefly listed as having a 1 in 11,000 chance of impacting Earth on 1 December 2028 placing it at the top of the Sentry Risk Table with a Palermo scale rating of -0.70.[4][5]
Discovery
[edit]2020 XR was discovered by Pan-STARRS 2 on 4 December 2020,[2] when it was 0.426 AU (63.7 million km) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 75°. It came to perihelion on 8 December 2020. On 2 January 2021, it passed 0.328 AU (49.1 million km) from Earth.[3]
On 13 December 2020, precovery observations from 2013, 2016, and mid-2020 extended the observation arc from 8 days to 7.8 years allowing the asteroid to be removed from the Sentry Risk Table.[2][4]
2024
[edit]It was the Earth perturbations of the asteroid in 2024 that determined if an impact was possible in December 2028. On 4 December 2024, the asteroid will pass 0.0147 AU (2.20 million km; 5.7 LD) from Earth with an uncertainty region of about ±800 km.[3] This will increase the asteroid's orbital period by 10 days.
| Parameter | Epoch (date) |
Orbital Period |
|---|---|---|
| Units | (days) | |
| Pre-flyby | 2024-Sep-04 | 1441 |
| Post-flyby | 2025-Mar-04 | 1451 |
2028
[edit]On 7 November 2028, the asteroid will pass 0.121 AU (18.1 million km) from Earth.[3] By 1 December 2028 the asteroid will be 0.19 AU (28 million km) from Earth[6] with an uncertainty region of about ±10,000 km.[a]
Notes
[edit]- ^ While the observation arc was only a few days, the uncertainty region on 1 December 2028 was approximately a billion km.
References
[edit]- ^ "MPEC 2020-X365 : 2020 XR". IAU Minor Planet Center. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020. (K20X00R)
- ^ a b c d e f "2020 XR". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2020 XR)" (last observation: 2020-12-12; arc: 7.8 years). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Earth Impact Risk Summary: 2020 XR". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ hohmanntransfer: 2020 XR (10 Dec 2020) (1/11000 = 9E-05)
- ^ "2020XR Ephemerides for 1 December 2028". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
External links
[edit]- Asteroid Hazards, Part 3: Finding the Path – YouTube video by the Minor Planet Center (26 August 2015)
- 2020 XR at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2020 XR at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2020 XR at the JPL Small-Body Database
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