# 2020 CW

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Near-Earth asteroid

2020 CW Discovery[1] Discovered by MLS Discovery site Mount Lemon Obs. Discovery date 1 February 2020 (first observed only) Designations Minor planet category NEO · Apollo[1][2] Orbital characteristics[2] Epoch 1 February 2020 (JD 2458880.5) Uncertainty parameter 8[2] · —[1] Observation arc 0 day Aphelion 1.9980 AU Perihelion 0.4769 AU Semi-major axis 1.2375 AU Eccentricity 0.6146 Orbital period (sidereal) 1.38 yr (503 d) Mean anomaly 322.21° Mean motion 0° 42m 57.6s / day Inclination 2.1259° Longitude of ascending node 132.01° Argument of perihelion 110.66° Earth MOID 0.030 LD (0.000076 AU) Physical characteristics Mean diameter 1.1 m (est at 0.14)[3][4] Absolute magnitude (H) 32.5[1][2] 32.6[4]

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

## 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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Mount_Lemmon_Observatory) in the [Santa Catalina Mountains](/source/Santa_Catalina_Mountains) northeast of Tucson, Arizona.[1] The next encounter closer than the [Moon](/source/Moon) is predicted to occur 5 February 2029 at a distance of 19,040 kilometres (11,830 mi) or more.[2]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-MPC-object_1-6) ["2020 CW"](https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2020+CW). *Minor Planet Center*. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-jpldata_2-7) ["JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2020 CW)"](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3989456;cad=1#cad) (2020-02-01 last obs.). [Jet Propulsion Laboratory](/source/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory). Retrieved 5 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-h_3-0)** ["Asteroid Size Estimator"](https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/ast_size_est.html). CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ssa_072920_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ssa_072920_4-1) ["ESA space situational awareness 2020CW"](http://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?tab=summary&des=2020CW). [European Space Agency](/source/European_Space_Agency). Retrieved 29 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cnet_020420_5-0)** Mack, Eric (4 February 2020). ["Adorable asteroid 2020 CW makes one of the closest passes by Earth ever seen"](https://www.cnet.com/news/adorable-asteroid-2020-cw-makes-one-of-the-closest-passes-by-earth-ever-seen/). *[CNET](/source/CNET)*. It was a harmless flyby for the record books.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CNEOS_6-0)** ["NEO Earth Close Approaches"](https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/). 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

## External links

- [List Of Apollo Minor Planets (by designation)](https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/t_apollos.html), *Minor Planet Center*

- [2020 CW](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.0) at *NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site* - [Ephemerides](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.3.0) **·** [Observation prediction](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.4.0) **·** [Orbital info](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.1) **·** [MOID](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.5) **·** [Proper elements](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.6) **·** [Observational info](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.7.0) **·** [Close approaches](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.8) **·** [Physical info](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.9) **·** [Orbit animation](https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?n=2020CW&pc=1.1.A)

- [2020 CW](https://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?sum=1&des=2020CW) at *ESA–[space situational awareness](/source/Space_Situational_Awareness_Programme)* - [Ephemerides](https://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?des=2020CW&tab=eph) **·** [Observations](https://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?des=2020CW&tab=obs) **·** [Orbit](https://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?des=2020CW&tab=orbprop) **·** [Physical properties](https://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?des=2020CW&tab=physprops) **·** [Summary](https://neo.ssa.esa.int/search-for-asteroids?des=2020CW&tab=summary)

- [2020 CW](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3989456) at the *[JPL Small-Body Database](/source/JPL_Small-Body_Database)* - [Close approach](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3989456&view=C) **·** [Discovery](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3989456&view=D) **·** [Ephemeris](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=3989456) **·** [Orbit viewer](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3989456&view=V) **·** [Orbit parameters](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3989456&view=O) **·** [Physical parameters](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3989456&view=P)

v t e Small Solar System bodies Minor planets Designation Groups List Moon Meanings of names Asteroid Active Asteroid belt Family Jupiter trojan Near-Earth Amors Apollos Atens Atiras Spectral types Distant minor planet Centaur Neptune trojan Damocloid Trans-Neptunian object Detached Kuiper belt Oort cloud Scattered disc Comets Extinct Great Halley-type Hyperbolic/Parabolic Long-period Lost Near-parabolic Periodic Sungrazing Other Cosmic dust Meteoroids Space debris

v t e 2020 in space « 2019 2021 » Space probe launches Solar Orbiter (Feb 2020) Hope (Jul 2020) Tianwen-1 (Jul 2020) Mars 2020 (Jul 2020) Perseverance rover Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Chang'e 5 (lunar sample return mission; Nov 2020) Impact events 2020 China bolide Selected NEOs Asteroid close approaches 594913 ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim (809875) 2020 BX12 2020 CW 2020 CD3 (temporary satellite) (52768) 1998 OR2 2020 HS7 2020 JJ 2020 LD (163348) 2002 NN4 2020 OY4 2020 QG 2011 ES4 2018 VP1 2020 SO (space debris) 2020 SW 2020 SL1 2020 UA 2020 VV 2020 VT4 (153201) 2000 WO107 (501647) 2014 SD224 (614689) 2020 XL5 Exoplanets AU Mic b Gliese 414 Ab Ac Gliese 433 b c d GJ 1151 b radio emissions K2-315b Kepler-1649c KOI-456.04 Lacaille 9352 b c M51-ULS-1b OGLE-2016-BLG-1928L (rogue planet) Tau Ceti j (predicted) TOI-561 b c d e TOI-700 b c d TOI-732 b c TOI-1338 b TOI-1339 b c d TYC 8998-760-1 c WD 1856+534 b Discoveries Betelgeuse dimming FRB 180916 location and periodicity Radcliffe wave Ophiuchus Supercluster explosion PSO J03094+27 (distant blazar) 2MASS J1047+21 wind speed measurements SGR 1935+2154 (soft gamma ray repeater) HR 6819 black hole hypothesis PHL 293B ending of P Cygni profile hydrogen emission lines Swift J1818.0–1607 (young magnetar) GW190814 (announced) South Pole Wall GW190521 (announced) Phosphine detection in the atmosphere of Venus Water detection on the sunlit surface of the Moon Comets C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS) C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) C/2020 F8 (SWAN) C/2019 U6 (LEMMON) C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) 2P/Encke 88P/Howell C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) 156P/Russell–LINEAR C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Space exploration Spitzer retirement (Jan 2020) BepiColombo (Earth gravity assist; Apr 2020, Venus gravity assist; Oct 2020) OSIRIS-REx (sample collection from asteroid Bennu; Oct 2020) Hayabusa2 (sample return from asteroid Ryugu; Dec 2020) Chang'e 5 (lunar sample return; Dec 2020) Outer space portal Category:2019 in outer space — Category:2020 in outer space — Category:2021 in outer space

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [2020 CW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_CW) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_CW?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.