Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 162,150 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 CD3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 CD3 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.

2020 CD3 orbits the sun every 381 days (1.04 years), coming as close as 1.02 AU and reaching as far as 1.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 CD3 is probably between 0.001 to 0.004 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2020 CD3's orbit is 0.02 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2020 CD3 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 16, 2019 162,150 2.134
April 4, 2019 13,105 7.774
June 30, 2019 276,901 1.556
Sept. 10, 2019 301,989 1.472
Nov. 18, 2019 289,691 1.541
Feb. 13, 2020 47,062 4.074
March 20, 2044 3,656,821 0.216
Aug. 20, 2061 4,973,409 0.383

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 115 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Sept. 9, 2082 0.85090 6.84e-05
June 9, 2083 0.57680 6.843e-05
Jan. 14, 2084 0.25060 6.839e-05
Aug. 16, 2083 0.13820 6.84e-05
Feb. 21, 2083 0.13630 6.846e-05
Jan. 14, 2084 0.11330 6.839e-05
July 20, 2083 0.11170 6.847e-05
March 24, 2084 0.03351 6.838e-05
April 10, 2084 0.02480 6.85e-05
Feb. 27, 2084 0.01951 6.848e-05
Feb. 27, 2084 0.01814 6.848e-05
July 12, 2108 0.01652 6.84e-05
Nov. 30, 2084 0.01575 6.848e-05
Dec. 2, 2083 0.01508 6.839e-05
Feb. 27, 2084 0.01493 6.846e-05
Dec. 30, 2083 0.01425 6.842e-05
Oct. 1, 2083 0.01390 6.847e-05
Oct. 26, 2083 0.01125 6.842e-05
June 16, 2108 0.00927 6.847e-05
Nov. 20, 2084 0.00815 6.846e-05
Aug. 29, 2105 0.00787 6.842e-05
July 28, 2106 0.00776 6.847e-05
Aug. 20, 2103 0.00695 6.848e-05
Aug. 19, 2103 0.00684 6.848e-05
April 11, 2084 0.00655 6.85e-05
Feb. 27, 2084 0.00650 6.848e-05
July 13, 2108 0.00537 6.848e-05
July 11, 2105 0.00512 6.846e-05
Nov. 16, 2084 0.00505 6.84e-05
Nov. 30, 2084 0.00497 6.847e-05
April 11, 2084 0.00494 6.851e-05
Aug. 29, 2083 0.00472 6.847e-05
Jan. 2, 2116 0.00467 6.849e-05
Nov. 15, 2104 0.00424 6.852e-05
April 9, 2084 0.00386 6.849e-05
March 4, 2105 0.00354 6.852e-05
April 9, 2084 0.00351 6.85e-05
July 15, 2105 0.00302 6.851e-05
June 9, 2084 0.00298 6.855e-05
Oct. 26, 2085 0.00259 6.846e-05
June 10, 2084 0.00258 6.856e-05
July 31, 2108 0.00240 6.851e-05
Jan. 13, 2085 0.00200 6.836e-05
July 31, 2108 0.00178 6.851e-05
July 2, 2105 0.00176 6.849e-05
March 27, 2104 0.00171 6.842e-05
Dec. 25, 2100 0.00140 6.842e-05
Dec. 26, 2100 0.00118 6.847e-05
Oct. 21, 2085 0.00118 6.842e-05
May 28, 2085 0.00106 6.846e-05
May 6, 2104 0.00101 6.845e-05
Dec. 22, 2100 0.00098 6.847e-05
Aug. 28, 2105 0.00098 6.839e-05
Feb. 28, 2102 0.00092 6.848e-05
July 5, 2104 0.00092 6.847e-05
Dec. 24, 2117 0.00089 6.85e-05
Nov. 12, 2107 0.00082 6.843e-05
Dec. 23, 2100 0.00079 6.848e-05
Dec. 27, 2100 0.00078 6.848e-05
Feb. 24, 2107 0.00071 6.846e-05
Dec. 23, 2100 0.00060 6.845e-05
March 17, 2114 0.00048 6.841e-05
Nov. 29, 2084 0.00037 6.846e-05
July 16, 2083 0.00036 6.853e-05
July 8, 2108 0.00035 6.849e-05
Aug. 21, 2103 0.00030 6.844e-05
Feb. 9, 2105 0.00020 6.843e-05
April 8, 2084 0.00019 6.85e-05
Dec. 30, 2099 0.00016 6.849e-05
Sept. 5, 2103 0.00009 6.847e-05
Dec. 5, 2108 0.00007 6.842e-05
July 6, 2104 0.00007 6.848e-05
Dec. 26, 2100 0.00006 6.847e-05
Dec. 1, 2084 0.00005 6.849e-05
March 4, 2105 0.00004 6.853e-05
Dec. 9, 2107 0.00004 6.847e-05
Feb. 12, 2103 0.00004 6.839e-05
July 31, 2108 0.00003 6.852e-05
July 6, 2104 0.00003 6.846e-05
July 4, 2105 0.00002 6.842e-05
Sept. 20, 2083 0.00002 6.841e-05
Dec. 26, 2100 0.00001 6.85e-05
April 5, 2084 0.00001 6.838e-05
Dec. 3, 2108 0.00000 6.845e-05
July 31, 2108 0.00000 6.851e-05
Nov. 14, 2084 0.00000 6.851e-05
June 8, 2084 0.00000 6.851e-05
June 9, 2084 0.00000 6.852e-05
Dec. 7, 2105 0.00000 6.849e-05
Nov. 8, 2104 0.00000 6.849e-05
July 11, 2105 0.00000 6.847e-05
April 14, 2084 0.00000 6.84e-05
Dec. 23, 2100 0.00000 6.848e-05
Nov. 13, 2104 0.00000 6.848e-05
April 14, 2084 0.00000 6.843e-05
Dec. 11, 2105 0.00000 6.849e-05
Sept. 3, 2103 0.00000 6.85e-05
Aug. 1, 2108 0.00000 6.852e-05
Jan. 2, 2085 0.00000 6.848e-05
July 14, 2105 0.00000 6.851e-05
July 16, 2105 0.00000 6.846e-05
Dec. 23, 2117 0.00000 6.848e-05
July 15, 2105 0.00000 6.851e-05
April 28, 2105 0.00000 6.842e-05
Aug. 3, 2105 0.00000 6.847e-05
Sept. 24, 2103 0.00000 6.851e-05
Nov. 14, 2104 0.00000 6.849e-05
July 23, 2084 0.00000 6.833e-05
March 30, 2118 0.00000 6.844e-05
March 4, 2105 0.00000 6.851e-05
March 17, 2114 0.00000 6.843e-05
Feb. 14, 2104 0.00000 6.841e-05
July 6, 2105 0.00000 6.843e-05
May 1, 2116 0.00000 6.842e-05
Oct. 29, 2084 0.00000 6.848e-05

Images and Observations

2020 CD3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 9, 2018. It was last officially observed on May 20, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 128 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2020 CD3 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 3.571 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 2,239,987 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2020 CD3.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2020 CD3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.029 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0124
  • Inclination: 0.63°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 82.22°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 50.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 168.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.002 km
  • Magnitude: 31.74

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 381 days (1.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.38 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.02 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 CD3 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.