| Minorplanet: | yes |
| Background: |
|
| 2020 LD | |
| Discovered: | 7 June 2020 |
| Mpc Name: | 2020 LD |
| Mp Category: | NEOApollo |
| Epoch: | 2020-Jun-09 (JD 2459009.5) |
| Uncertainty: | 8 |
| Observation Arc: | 11 days |
| Moid: | 0.0017AU |
| Mercury Moid: | 0.00139AU |
| Venus Moid: | 0.00148AU |
| Mars Moid: | 0.00336AU |
| Jupiter Moid: | 2.92AU |
| Aphelion: | 2.20 AU |
| Perihelion: | 0.242 |
| Semimajor: | 1.22 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.801 |
| Period: | 1.35 yr |
| Inclination: | 3.44° |
| Asc Node: | 73.25° |
| Mean Anomaly: | 35.5° |
| Arg Peri: | 46.33° |
| Mean Diameter: | ~140m (460feet) |
2020 LD is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 140abbr=offNaNabbr=off in diameter. It was discovered on 7 June 2020 when the asteroid was about 0.03AU from Earth and had a solar elongation of 154 degrees. The glare of the Sun had masked the approach of the asteroid since November 2019. The asteroid passed closest approach to Earth on 5 June 2020 at a distance of 0.002AU. The close approach distance is now known with an accuracy of roughly ± 1000 km. This is the largest asteroid to pass closer than the Moon this year and possibly the largest since in November 2011. The asteroid makes close approaches to Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. It will be brighter than apparent magnitude 24 until 18 July 2020.
With a short 6 day observation arc it was possible that the asteroid had passed 8E-05AU from Earth in June 1918 or would pass 0.0001AU from Venus in April 2024.
With a 11-day observation arc, the Sentry Risk Table lists a 1 in 9 million chance of impact on 7 June 2109.
is another similarly sized asteroid whose close approach will not be masked by the Sun this year.
Very few asteroids have known sizes or shapes. The albedo (how reflective the surface is) of these asteroids is often unknown and therefore only generic assumptions can be made about their sizes. A smaller more reflective asteroid can have the same absolute magnitude (H) of a larger less reflective asteroid.
| 2020 LD | 2020-06-05 | 0.00205abbr=unitNaNabbr=unit | 22.4 | 89 – 200 | |
| 2019-07-25 | 0.00048AU | 23.3 | 58 – 130 | ||
| 2019-07-24 | 0.00239AU | 23.4 | 56 – 120 | ||
| 2018-05-15 | 0.00136AU | 23.6 | 51 – 110 | ||
| 2018-04-15 | 0.00129AU | 23.8 | 46 – 100 | ||
| 2018-01-02 | 0.00199AU | 22.5 | 84 – 190 | ||
| 2011-12-03 | 0.00232AU | 23.2 | 61 – 140 |