2020 NA (Clara)


 * For the character portrayed by Rebecca Rittenhouse, see Clara Young.

2020 NA, better known as Clara, after its discoverer Clara Young, is a carbonaceous chondrite asteroid that appears in the 2020 Toho disaster film, #JusticeForLove: End of the World, and serves as the primary plot device of the film.

Name
The provisional designation "2020 NA" consists of the year of discovery (2020) and an alphanumeric code indicating the half-month of discovery ("N" for July 1–15) and the order of discovery within that half-month ("A" refers to the first discovery within that half-month).

"Clara" is a feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus which meant "clear, bright, famous", referencing the typical appearance of a bolide during its atmospheric entry.

The asteroid is popularly known by its alternative designation Clara, after the astronomer who discovered it, Clara Young.

#JusticeForLove: End of the World
Originating from the outer asteroid belt, Clara was a fragment of a much larger parent body that collided with another impacting body several million years ago, that resulted in its orbit being disrupted. In the present day, it is discovered that Clara is on a collision course with Earth, and will impact in about three months. At the same time, small fragments from Clara wreak havoc around the world, destroying the cities of Tokyo, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the process. The United States and Russia attempt to deflect Clara by launching a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles, approximately 5 days before its projected impact. Due to the asteroid's enormous size, the ICBMs failed to deflect Clara, that remains on a collision course with Earth. Following mankind's failure to deflect the asteroid, they prepare for the inevitable end. Clara finally impacts Earth on October 10, in central France, just east of Paris, triggering a global firestorm that renders the Earth's surface uninhabitable, causing an extinction event that wipes out most animal and plant life on the planet, including mankind.

Trivia

 * The asteroid's name both references Isabelle Abiera's character in the 2014 series Innamorata and the typical appearance of a bolide.
 * Clara was inspired by the Chicxulub impactor, that triggered the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, that served as the main inspiration for #JusticeForLove: End of the World.
 * In the United States, #JusticeForLove: End of the World was released under its American title Asteroid Clara. This name was chosen as it refers to both the asteroid and Rittenhouse's character.
 * With a diameter of 10 kilometers, Clara is the largest potentially hazardous object. In reality, the largest known is (53319) 1999 JM8 approximately 7 kilometers in diameter.
 * A full subplot focusing on the asteroid's discovery, from the perspective of the astronomer who discovered it, intended to be portrayed by Rebecca Rittenhouse, was filmed but was cut in the film.
 * The name Clara is already used by 642 Clara (provisional designation 1907 ZY), a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered in 1907.