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2020 AP1

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2020 AP1
Discovery[1]
Discovered byMLS
Discovery siteMount Lemmon Obs.
Discovery date4 January 2020
Designations
2020 AP1
NEO–Apollo [2]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 2020-May-31 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 7
Observation arc1 day
Aphelion2.196 AU (328,500,000 km) (Q)
Perihelion0.9810 AU (146,760,000 km) (q)
1.588 AU (237,600,000 km) (a)
Eccentricity0.3824 (e)
2.002 yr
77.83° (M)
Inclination2.256° (i)
101.2° (Ω)
25 December 2021
349.7° (ω)
Earth MOID0.0014 AU (210,000 km; 0.54 LD)
Jupiter MOID3.0 AU (450,000,000 km)
Physical characteristics
3–7 meters (CNEOS)
29.6[2]

2020 AP1 is an Apollo near-Earth object roughly 5 meters (20 feet) in diameter. On 2 January 2020 it passed 0.00218 AU (326 thousand km; 0.85 LD) from Earth. With a short 1-day observation arc it was roughly expected to pass about 0.01 AU (1.5 million km; 3.9 LD) from Earth on 7 January 2022, but with an uncertainty of ±8 days for the close approach date it could have passed significantly closer or further.

2022 close approach[2]
Date JPL SBDB
nominal geocentric
distance 		uncertainty
region
(3-sigma)
2022-01-07.7 ± 8.3 days 1.7 million km ± 2.5 million km[3]

Discovery

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2020 AP1 came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 24 December 2020. On 2 January 2020 it passed 0.00218 AU (326 thousand km; 0.85 LD) from Earth.[2] It was then discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 4 January 2020, when it was 0.006 AU (900 thousand km; 2.3 LD) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 134°.[1] Being such a small and faint asteroid with the bright glare of the waxing gibbous moon in the sky, it was only observed for 1 day. The Earth approach increased the asteroid's orbital period by roughly 21 days.

2022

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The asteroid came to perihelion around 25 December 2021. The poorly constrained orbit has the asteroid passing 0.01 AU (1.5 million km; 3.9 LD) from Earth on 7 January 2022 with an uncertainty region of about ±2.5 million km extending over ±8 days.[2]

The JPL Small-Body Database shows a linear minimum possible distance of 0.000007 AU (1,000 km) from the center of Earth,[2] which would be inside of the 6,371 km radius of Earth. It is not listed on the more thorough Sentry Risk Table[4] because Sentry accounts for orbit propagation nonlinearities along the line of variations and the nonlinearities do not intersect where Earth will be.

See also

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  • 2018 AH – Short arc object approaching in December 2021
  • 2009 JF1 – Short arc object possibly approaching in May 2022

References

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  1. ^ a b "MPEC 2020-A67 : 2020 AP1". IAU Minor Planet Center. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020. (K20A01P)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2020 AP1)" (last observation: 2020-01-05; arc: 1 day). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Horizons Batch for 2022-Jan-07 17:32 UT". JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  4. ^ 2020 AP1 is not listed on the Sentry Risk Table
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