Asteroids 2020 BK3 and 2020 BB5 flew past Earth at 0.78 and 0.69 LD, respectively

Two newly discovered asteroids flew past Earth within 1 lunar distance since January 20, 2020. These are the second and third known asteroids to flyby Earth within 1 LD since the start of the year.

The first, designated 2020 BK3 is an Apollo-class asteroid that flew past us on January 20 at a distance of 0.78 LD / 0.00200 AU (299 195 km / 185 911 miles). Its estimated diameter is between 11 and 25 m (36 – 82 feet).

The asteroid was first observed at ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa, Hawaii on January 22, two days after it made a close approach to our planet. It flew past us at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 10.53 km/s at 20:51 UTC. 

[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

Reference:

Asteroid 2020 BK3 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS

Asteroid 2020 BB5 also belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey, Arizona on January 23, one day after it made its close approach to our planet.

This is a smaller object than 2020 BK3, with an estimated diameter between 3.3 and 7.3 m (10 – 24 feet).

It flew past us at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 9.03 km/s at a distance of 0.69 LD / 0.00177 AU (264 788 km / 164 531 miles) at 00:20 UTC on January 22.

[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

Reference:

Asteroid 2020 BB5 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS

 

Asteroids detected within 1 lunar distance in 2020 (valid January 24, 2020):

NEO	DATE / TIME UTC	DISTANCE LD | AU	Diameter (m)
2020 BB5	January 22 @ 00:20 ± 00:20	0.69 | 0.00177	3.3 – 7.4
2020 BK3	January 20 @ 20:51 ± 00:05	0.78 | 0.00200	11 – 25
2020 AP1	January 2 @ 15:33  ± 00:02	0.85 | 0.00218	3.2 – 7.2

Asteroids detected within 1 lunar distance in 2019 (valid January 24, 2020):

NEO	DATE / TIME UTC	DISTANCE LD | AU	Diameter (m)
2019 YV4	December 25 @ 21:41 ± 11:01	0.98 | 0.00251	9.3 – 21
2019 YU2	December 23 @ 19:28 ± < 00:01	0.26 | 0.00066	8.9 – 20
2019 YS	December 18 @ 15:12 ± < 00:01	0.17 | 0.00044	1.3 – 3
2019 YB	December 18 @ 00:12 ± 00:03	0.44 | 0.00113	3.1 – 7
2019 WJ4	November 30 @ 20:05 ± < 00:01	0.85 | 0.00219	5.5 – 12
2019 WG2	November 23 @ 08:44 ± < 00:01	0.47 | 0.00121	26 – 59
2019 WV1	November 19 @ 23:45 ± 03:13	0.72 | ​0.00186	6.3 – 14
2019 WH	November 19 @ 08:01 ± < 00:01	0.22 | ​0.00057	16 – 36
2019 VF5	November 9 @ 23:16 ± < 00:01	0.49 | 0.00127	8.3 – 19
2019 VB5	November 9 @ 17:29 ± < 00:01	0.38 | 0.00097	1.2 – 2.7
2019 VS4	November 6 @ 16:28 ± < 00:01	0.36 | 0.00093	9.3 – 21
2019 VR	November 4 @ 10:35 ± < 00:01	0.35 | 0.00091	6.5 – 14
2019 VD	November 4 @ 09:55 ± 00:01	0.45 | 0.00116	8.7 – 19
2019 VA	November 2 @ 17:41 ± 00:12	0.28 | 0.00072	5.6 – 12
2019 UG11	November 1 @ 20:42 ± 00:02	0.55 | 0.00140	13 – 29
2019 UN13	October 31 @ 14:45 ± < 00:01	0.03 | 8.43e-5	1 – 2.2
2019 UB8	October 29 @ 06:30 ± 00:03	0.50 | 0.00127	4 – 8.9
2019 UD10	October 27 @ 10:08 ± 00:02	0.44 | 0.00112	6.3 – 14
2019 UX12	October 26 @ 03:08 ± 00:04	0.99 | 0.00255	4.9 – 11
2019 UO8	October 25 @ 13:30 ± 00:01	0.41 | 0.00105	3.1 – 6.9
2019 UN8	October 23 @ 16:41 ± 00:17	0.93 | 0.00235	3.1 – 6.9
2019 UL3	October 19 @ 22:23 ± 00:08	0.77 | 0.00199	6 – 13
2019 UG	October 18 @ 09:23 ± < 00:01	0.84 | 0.00215	6.8 – 15
2019 UU1	October 18 @ 06:23 ± < 00:01	0.59 | 0.00150	2.1 – 5.1
2019 TN5	October 5 @ 22:38 ± < 00:01	0.32 | 0.00083	5.5 – 12
2019 SP3	October 3 @ 06:36 ± 00:34	0.97 | 0.00248	13 – 30
2019 SM8	October 1 @ 13:56 ± < 00:01	0.41 | ​0.00106	3.8 – 8.6
2019 TD	September 29 @ 18:50 ± 00:13	0.34 | ​0.00087	4.1 – 9.1
2019 TE	September 28 @ 20:31 ± 01:31	0.93 | 0.00238	6.8 – 15
2019 SX8	September 28 @ 07:49 ± 00:38	0.99 | 0.00255	4.6 – 10
2019 SS3	September 22 @ 22:48 ± 00:21	0.73 | 0.00188	15 – 34
2019 SS2	September 21 @ 07:12 ± 00:02	0.30 | ​0.00077	2 – 4.4
2019 SD1	September 21 @ 06:46 ± < 00:01	0.73 | 0.00187	5.5 – 12
2019 SU2	September 21 @ 02:48 ± 00:05	0.19 | 0.00048	2.7 – 6.1
2019 SJ	September 16 @ 18:55 ± 00:03	0.64 | 0.00163	8.6 – 19
2019 RC1	September 7 @ 10:48 ± 00:04	0.48 | ​0.00123	4.5 – 10
2019 RP1	September 5 @ 22:04 ± < 00:01	0.10 | ​0.00025	7.4 – 17
2019 RQ	September 2 @ 16:45 ± < 00:01	0.29 | ​0.00074	2.1 – 4.6
2019 QQ3	August 26 @ 15:14 ± 00:01	0.25 | 0.00064	3.7 – 8.2
2019 QR8	August 26 @ 08:51 ± 01:08	0.80 | ​0.00207	6.6 – 15
2019 QD	August 22 @ 01:28 ± < 00:08	0.78 | 0.00200	4.7 – 11
2019 QH2	August 20 @ 18:12 ± 00:08	0.13 | 0.00033	2.2 – 5
2019 QB1	August 20 @ 11:55 ± 00:08	0.32 | 0.00082	9.3 – 21
2019 ON3	July 29 @ 01:19 ±  00:14	0.56 | 0.00143	7.4 – 16
2019 OD3	July 28 @ 02:56 ± < 00:01	0.49 | 0.00126	11 – 25
2019 OK	July 25 @ 01:22 ± < 00:04	0.19 | ​0.00048	57 – 130
2019 OD	July 24 @ 13:31 ± 00:04	0.93 | ​0.00239	54 – 120
2019 NN3	July 10 @ 16:29 ± < 00:01	0.83 | 0.00214	35 – 77
2019 NF7	July 9 @ 12:07 ± < 00:01	0.98 | 0.00253	6.4 – 14
2019 MB4	July 9 @ 07:20 ± < 00:01	0.82 | 0.00211	17 – 38
2019 NK1	July 2 @ 09:48 ± 00:05	0.69 | 0.00177	2.9 – 6.5
2019 LW4	June 8 @ 17:04 ± < 00:01	0.65 | ​​0.00166	9.3 – 21
2019 LY4	June 6 @ 01:30 ± < 00:01	0.22 | ​​0.00056	7.3 – 16
2019 KT	May 28 @ 03:48 ± < 00:01	0.85 | ​0.00217	13 – 29
2019 JH2	May 16 @ 00:06 ± < 00:01	0.19 | ​0.00048	3.1 – 7
2019 JY2	May 5 @ 17:12 ± < 00:01	0.38 | 0.00098	3.3 – 7.3
2019 JX1	May 2 @ 12:39 ± 00:02	0.47 | 0.00120	3.8 – 8.6
2019 JK	April 30 @ 08:12 UTC ± 00:01	0.69 | 0.00178	7.1 – 16
2019 HE	April 20 @ 21:12 ± < 00:01	0.58 | 0.00149	13 – 30
2019 GC6	April 18 @ 06:39 ± 00:29	0.57 | 0.00147	13 – 28
2019 GN20	April 12 @ 07:06 ± < 00:01	0.98 | 0.00253	14 – 31
2019 FP21	March 31 @ 19:00  ±  07:46	0.93 | 0.00238	3 – 6.6
2019 FV1	March 31 @ 05:27 ± < 00:01	0.87 | 0.00223	4.6 – 10
2019 FC1	March 28 @ 05:46 ± < 00:01	0.27 | 0.00069	20 – 45
2019 FQ	March 23 @ 18:17 UTC ± < 00:01	0.86 | 0.00220	10 – 23
2019 EA2	March 22 @ 01:53 UTC ± 00:02	0.80 | 0.00205	18 – 40
2019 FA	March 16 @ 01:14 UTC ± < 00:01	0.60 | 0.00154	4.9 – 11
2019 EN2	March 13 @ 23:38 UTC ± < 00:01	0.86 | 0.00221	8 – 18
2019 EH1	March 1 @ 17:38 UTC ± < 00:01	0.06 | 0.00016	2.5 – 5.7
2019 DF	February 26 @ 21:21 UTC  ± 00:09	0.47 | 0.00120	3.0 – 6.7
2019 DG2	Febraury 26 @ 07:39 UTC ± 07:39	0.61 | 0.00158	5.4 – 12
2019 CN5	February 11 @ 07:23 UTC ± 00:03	0.31 | 0.00079	7.3 – 16
2019 BZ3	January 27 @ 23:29 ± < 00:01	0.13 | 0.00032	4.8 – 11
2019 BV1	January 24 @ 20:53 ± < 00:01	0.35 | 0.00090	4.8 – 11
2019 BO	January 16 @ 01:13 ± 00:02	0.18 | 0.00046	6.3 – 14
2019 AE9	January 12 @ 11:09 ± < 00:01	0.26 | 0.00067	9.9 – 22
2019 AS5	January 8 @ 00:37 ± < 00:01	0.04 | 0.00010	0.92 – 2.1

 

Featured image credit: Minor Planet Center

If you value what we do here, open your ad-free account and support our journalism.

Related articles

• Three asteroids to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance today Monday, November 8, 2021
• Newly-discovered asteroid 2021 WF3 to fly past Earth at 0.37 LD Tuesday, November 30, 2021
• Asteroid 2022 ES3 to fly past Earth at 0.8 LD Sunday, March 13, 2022
• Asteroid 2022 CO6 to fly past Earth at 0.58 LD Monday, February 14, 2022
• Asteroid 2022 CG7 flew past Earth at just 0.13 LD Monday, February 14, 2022
• Asteroid 2022 CD3 flew past Earth at 0.75 LD Tuesday, February 8, 2022
• Asteroid 2022 BT flew past Earth at 0.26 LD Wednesday, January 26, 2022
• Asteroid 2022 AC4 to fly past Earth at 0.24 LD Monday, January 10, 2022
• Asteroid 2021 VY7 to fly past Earth at 0.83 LD on November 11 Thursday, November 11, 2021
• Asteroid 2021 VU4 to fly past Earth at 0.28 LD on November 10 Wednesday, November 10, 2021
• Asteroid 2021 VP11 flew past Earth at 0.15 LD Saturday, November 13, 2021
• Asteroid 2021 VH flew past Earth at just 0.08 LD Wednesday, November 3, 2021