2012 PB20

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2012 PB20

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 1,372,625 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 PB20 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2012 PB20 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2012 PB20 orbits the sun every 395 days (1.08 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 PB20 is probably between 0.018 to 0.081 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2012 PB20's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2012 PB20 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 9, 2025 1,372,625 4.265
Sept. 13, 2025 21,267,761 3.699
July 17, 2042 13,295,412 5.292
Nov. 22, 2057 24,870,248 2.886
July 22, 2058 8,512,423 4.004

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 22 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Feb. 11, 2115 0.00019 1.0
Feb. 11, 2115 0.00009 1.001
Feb. 11, 2116 0.00005 0.9999
Feb. 10, 2098 0.00003 1.0
Feb. 11, 2120 0.00003 0.9996
Feb. 10, 2099 0.00002 1.001
Feb. 10, 2100 0.00002 1.001
Feb. 11, 2115 0.00002 1.001
Feb. 11, 2120 0.00001 0.9998
Feb. 10, 2099 0.00001 1.001
Feb. 11, 2116 0.00001 1.0
Feb. 11, 2120 0.00001 0.9996
Feb. 9, 2089 0.00001 0.9995
Feb. 11, 2103 0.00000 1.0
Feb. 11, 2116 0.00000 1.001
Feb. 10, 2111 0.00000 0.9989
Feb. 10, 2121 0.00000 0.9992
Feb. 11, 2108 0.00000 0.9991
Feb. 10, 2105 0.00000 0.9992
Feb. 10, 2117 0.00000 0.999
Feb. 9, 2089 0.00000 0.9989
Feb. 11, 2121 0.00000 1.001

Images and Observations

2012 PB20's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 10, 2012. It was last officially observed on Oct. 10, 2012. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 49 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2012 PB20 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.027 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 564,858 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2012 PB20.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2012 PB20:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.054 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0948
  • Inclination: 5.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 142.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 50.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 206.93°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.050 km
  • Magnitude: 24.91

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 395 days (1.08 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.95 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2012 PB20 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2012 PB20 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.