SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 1995 Q2

Hartley-Drinkwater

Hartley-Drinkwater follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.967 carries it from 1.889 AU at perihelion out to 110.9 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 123
Orbital Period · P
423 yr
v(q)
30.4 km/s
v(Q)
0.5 km/s
TJ
-1.56
Eccentricity · e
0.9665

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.889 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 110.9 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 109.0 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 56.38 AU gives an orbital period of 423 yr, or about 154,624 days.

The high eccentricity (0.967) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 168.0° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 30.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.5 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = -1.56, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 123 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.8935 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

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
56.38 AU
Eccentricity
0.9665
Perihelion
1.889 AU
Aphelion
110.87127 AU
Inclination
168.01°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2449966.5
Mean Anomaly
0.08°

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
—

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.89353
Condition
6
Orbit ID
—
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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