2020 OY4 is a very small asteroid classified as a near-Earth object that passed within 21,850 miles (35,160 km) of the surface of Earth on July 28, 2020, with a fly-by speed of 12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) per second.[3] The car-sized asteroid posed no risk of impact to Earth, but it did pass within the orbit of satellites in the geostationary ring at 35,785 kilometres (22,236 mi) above Earth's equator.[4]
| Discovery [1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | MLS |
| Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
| Discovery date | July 26, 2020 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | 2020 OY4 |
Minor planet category | NEO · Apollo [1][2] |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 6[2] · 7[1] | |
| Observation arc | 2 days |
| Aphelion | 1.5623 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.6873 AU |
Semi-major axis | 1.1248 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.3889 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 1.19 yr (436 d) |
Mean anomaly | 257.94° |
Mean motion | 0° 49m 34.32s / day |
| Inclination | 2.1148° |
Longitude of ascending node | 305.50° |
Argument of perihelion | 98.703° |
| Earth MOID | 0.0000879 AU (0.034 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 2–5 m[3] |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 30.18[2] 30.35[1] |
The asteroid was discovered July 26, 2020 using the Mount Lemmon Survey telescope in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona.[3] The next encounter closer than the Moon is predicted to occur July 30, 2055 at a distance of 200,000 kilometres (124,000 mi) or more.[2]
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