SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 1843 D1

Great March comet

Great March comet follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 1 carries it from 0.006 AU at perihelion out to 128.5 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 200
Orbital Period · P
515 yr
v(q)
543.8 km/s
v(Q)
0 km/s
TJ
0
Eccentricity · e
0.9999

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.006 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 128.5 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 128.5 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 64.27 AU gives an orbital period of 515 yr, or about 188,193 days.

The high eccentricity (1) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 144.3° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 543.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0 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, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 200 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
64.27 AU
Eccentricity
0.9999
Perihelion
0.006 AU
Aphelion
128.533573 AU
Inclination
144.35°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2394259.4
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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