SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
Hind
NASA JPL SBDB · 1847 C1

Hind

Hind follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 1 carries it from 0.043 AU at perihelion out to 946.6 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 160
Encyclopedia excerpt
Hind's Comet, formally designated as C/1847 C1, is a non-periodic comet that became visible to the naked eye in March 1847. It is the second comet discovered by English astronomer John Russell Hind, the first being C/1846 O1.
Orbital Period · P
10,297 yr
v(q)
203.1 km/s
v(Q)
0 km/s
TJ
0.19
Eccentricity · e
0.9999

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.043 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 946.6 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 946.5 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 473.3 AU gives an orbital period of 10,297 yr, or about 3,760,928 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 48.66° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 203.1 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 = 0.19, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 160 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
473.3 AU
Eccentricity
0.9999
Perihelion
0.043 AU
Aphelion
946.55267 AU
Inclination
48.66°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2395760.5
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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