2020 QG
2020 QG, also known by its internal designation ZTF0DxQ, is an Earth-crossing asteroid, a few meters in diameter. It belongs to the Apollo group, and passed above the surface of Earth approximately 2,950 kilometres (1,830 mi) away (less than half an Earth radius) on 16 August 2020 at 04:09 UT. It was first imaged by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory about 6 hours after this closest approach, and was later identified by Kunal Deshmukh, a student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, along with colleagues Kritti Sharma, Chen-Yen Hsu and Bryce T. Bolin analyzing images from the ZTF.
2020 QG imaged as a streak of light by the Zwicky Transient Facility on 16 August 2020 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Zwicky Transient Facility |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 August 2020 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | 2020 QG |
Alternative designations | ZTF0DxQ |
Minor planet category | NEO · Apollo |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 6 | |
| Observation arc | 1.6 days |
| Aphelion | 2.8933±0.0009 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.99628 AU |
Semi-major axis | 1.9448±0.0006 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.48772±0.0002 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 2.71 yr (990.51±0.47 d) |
Mean anomaly | 337.41±0.011° |
Mean motion | 0° 21m 48.696s / day |
| Inclination | 5.4727±0.004° |
Longitude of ascending node | 143.50° |
| 1 August 2020 03:43 UT | |
| 162.01±0.003° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.00027 AU (40,000 km) |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | ~3 m (est. at ~0.17) 2–14 m (est. at 0.01–0.60) |
| 29.87±0.25 | |
At the time, 2020 QG passed closer to Earth than any known asteroid, except for those that became meteors. It passed closer than 2011 CQ1 and 2020 JJ. Given an absolute magnitude of 29.8, it is estimated to be around 3–6 metres (10–20 ft) in diameter so similar to Earth-impactors 2008 TC3, 2014 AA, 2018 LA, and 2019 MO.