2020 LD

2020 LD
Orbital diagram of 2020 LD. It crosses the orbit of all four inner planets of the Solar System.
Discovery[1]
Discovered byATLAS–MLO (T08)
Discovery date7 June 2020
Designations
2020 LD
NEO · Apollo[2]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 2020-Jun-09 (JD 2459009.5)
Uncertainty parameter 8
Observation arc11 days
Aphelion2.20 AU
Perihelion0.242
1.22 AU
Eccentricity0.801
1.35 yr
35.5°
Inclination3.44°
73.25°
46.33°
Earth MOID0.0017 AU (250 thousand km)
Mercury MOID0.00139 AU (208 thousand km)
Venus MOID0.00148 AU (221 thousand km)
Mars MOID0.00336 AU (503 thousand km)
Jupiter MOID2.92 AU (437 million km)
Physical characteristics
89–200 m (CNEOS)
~140 m (460 ft)
22.4±0.2[2]

2020 LD is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 140 meters (460 feet) in diameter. It was discovered on 7 June 2020 when the asteroid was about 0.03 AU (4.5 million km; 12 LD) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 154 degrees. The glare of the Sun had masked the approach of the asteroid since November 2019.[3][a] The asteroid passed closest approach to Earth on 5 June 2020 at a distance of 0.002 AU (300 thousand km; 0.78 LD).[2] The close approach distance is now known with an accuracy of roughly ± 1000 km. This is the largest asteroid to pass closer than the Moon this year and possibly the largest since (308635) 2005 YU55 in November 2011.[b][c] The asteroid makes close approaches to Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.[2] It will be brighter than apparent magnitude 24 until 18 July 2020.

With a short 6 day observation arc it was possible that the asteroid had passed 0.00008 AU (12 thousand km; 0.031 LD) from Earth in June 1918 or would pass 0.0001 AU (15 thousand km) from Venus in April 2024.[4]

With a 11-day observation arc, the Sentry Risk Table lists a 1 in 9 million chance of impact on 7 June 2109.[5]

(501647) 2014 SD224 is another similarly sized asteroid whose close approach will not be masked by the Sun this year.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPEC2020-L35 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NEODyS2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference JPL5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference sentry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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