2020 CW

2020 CW is a tiny near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 1 meter (3 ft) in diameter. It was first observed by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 1 February 2020,[1] when it passed Earth very closely at a nominal distance of only 0.041 lunar distances (0.000105 astronomical units).[2] The object's orbital elements remain highly uncertain.[1][2]

2020 CW
Discovery [1]
Discovered byMLS
Discovery siteMount Lemon Obs.
Discovery date1 February 2020
(first observed only)
Designations
2020 CW
NEO · Apollo [1][2]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 1 February 2020 (JD 2458880.5)
Uncertainty parameter 8[2] · —[1]
Observation arc0 day
Aphelion1.9980 AU
Perihelion0.4769 AU
1.2375 AU
Eccentricity0.6146
1.38 yr (503 d)
322.21°
0° 42m 57.6s / day
Inclination2.1259°
132.01°
110.66°
Earth MOID0.030 LD (0.000076 AU)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
1.1 m (est at 0.14)[3][4]
32.5[1][2]32.6[4]

    Description

    2020 CW passed within 15,660 kilometres (9,730 mi) of the Earth on 1 February 2020, with a fly-by speed of 21.2 kilometres (13.2 mi) per second.[2] The household-appliance-sized asteroid passed within the orbit of satellites in the geostationary ring at 35,900 kilometres (22,300 mi) above Earth's equator.[5] At the time, it was the closest approach in the year 2020. Since then, 2020 JJ made a closer approach on 4 May 2020.[6]

    The asteroid was first observed 1 February 2020 by the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona.[1] The next encounter closer than the Moon is predicted to occur 5 February 2029 at a distance of 19,040 kilometres (11,830 mi) or more.[2]

    References
    1. "2020 CW". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
    2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2020 CW)" (2020-02-01 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
    3. "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
    4. "ESA space situational awareness 2020CW". European Space Agency. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
    5. Mack, Eric (4 February 2020). "Adorable asteroid 2020 CW makes one of the closest passes by Earth ever seen". CNET. It was a harmless flyby for the record books.
    6. "NEO Earth Close Approaches". Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). Retrieved 29 July 2020. Table Settings: All available data, Nominal dist. <= 1LD, no H limit, sort by CA Distance Nominal


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