(792156) 2020 XR

Last updated

(792156) 2020 XR
Discovery [1] [2]
Discovered by Pan-STARRS 2
Discovery site Haleakala Obs.
Discovery date4 December 2020
Designations
2020 XR
Orbital characteristics [3]
Epoch 2020-May-31 (JD  2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 7.8 years [4]
Aphelion 4.0272  AU (602,460,000  km) (Q)
Perihelion 0.97013 AU (145,129,000 km) (q)
2.4987 AU (373,800,000 km) (a)
Eccentricity 0.61174 (e)
3.95  yr
312.19° (M)
Inclination 13.947° (i)
249.74° (Ω)
8 December 2020
163.01° (ω)
Known satellites 1
Earth  MOID 0.00085 AU (127,000 km; 0.33 LD)
Jupiter  MOID 1.4 AU (210,000,000 km)
Physical characteristics
~390 meters (1,000 feet) [4]
19.8 [2] [3]

    (792156) 2020 XR is a binary Apollo near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid roughly 390 meters (1,000 feet) in diameter. With a 5-day observation arc it was briefly listed as having a 1 in 11,000 chance of impacting Earth on 1 December 2028, which placed it at the top of the Sentry Risk Table with a Palermo scale rating of -0.70. [4] [5]

    Contents

    Discovery

    2020 XR was discovered by Pan-STARRS 2 on 4 December 2020, [2] when it was 0.426  AU (63.7 million  km ) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 75°. It came to perihelion on 8 December 2020. On 2 January 2021, it passed 0.328 AU (49.1 million km) from Earth. [3]

    On 13 December 2020, precovery observations from 2013, 2016, and mid-2020 extended the observation arc from 8 days to 7.8 years allowing the asteroid to be removed from the Sentry Risk Table. [2] [4]

    Satellite

    A satellite was discovered on December 2, 2024 by Goldstone Observatory in California using radar observations. Permanent designation was assigned on March 31, 2025. [6]

    2024

    It was the Earth perturbations of the asteroid in 2024 that determined if an impact was possible in December 2028. On 4 December 2024, the asteroid will pass 0.0147 AU (2.20 million km; 5.7 LD) from Earth with an uncertainty region of about ±800 km. [3] This will increase the asteroid's orbital period by 10 days.

    Orbital period 3 months before and after 2024-Dec-04 Earth approach
    Parameter Epoch
    (date)    		 Orbital
    Period
    Units(days)
    Pre-flyby2024-Sep-041441
    Post-flyby2025-Mar-041451

    2028

    On 7 November 2028, the asteroid will pass 0.121 AU (18.1 million km) from Earth. [3] By 1 December 2028 the asteroid will be 0.19 AU (28 million km) from Earth [7] with an uncertainty region of about ±10,000 km. [a]

    Notes

    1. ↑ While the observation arc was only a few days, the uncertainty region on 1 December 2028 was approximately a billion km.

    References

    1. ↑ "MPEC 2020-X365 : 2020 XR". IAU Minor Planet Center. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020. (K20X00R)
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2020 XR". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2020 XR)" (last observation: 2020-12-12; arc: 7.8 years). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
    4. 1 2 3 4 "Earth Impact Risk Summary: 2020 XR". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    5. ↑ hohmanntransfer: 2020 XR (10 Dec 2020) (1/11000 = 9E-05)
    6. ↑ "(792156) 2020 XR". Wm. Robert Johnston. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    7. ↑ "2020XR Ephemerides for 1 December 2028". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.

    (792156) 2020 XR at the JPL Small-Body Database

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