SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
Great comet
NASA JPL SBDB · 1807 R1

Great comet

Great comet follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.996 carries it from 0.646 AU at perihelion out to 285.8 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 70
Encyclopedia excerpt
A great comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright and easily observable to the naked eye. There is no official definition; the term is often attached to comets such as Halley's Comet, which, during certain appearances, are bright enough to be noticed by casual observers not looking for them and become well known outside the astronomical community. Typically, they are as bright or brighter than a second-magnitude star and have tails that are 10 degrees or longer under dark skies.
Orbital Period · P
1,714 yr
v(q)
52.3 km/s
v(Q)
0.1 km/s
TJ
0.48
Eccentricity · e
0.9955

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.646 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 285.8 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 285.1 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 143.2 AU gives an orbital period of 1,714 yr, or about 625,900 days.

The high eccentricity (0.996) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 63.18° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 52.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.1 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 0.48, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

Neither a measured diameter nor a reliable absolute magnitude is available for Great comet, so its physical size remains unconstrained.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 70 observations.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
143.2 AU
Eccentricity
0.9955
Perihelion
0.646 AU
Aphelion
285.7556 AU
Inclination
63.18°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2381313.7
Mean Anomaly
0.0°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

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