SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 1996 B1

Szczepanski

Szczepanski follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.991 carries it from 1.449 AU at perihelion out to 312.4 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 489
Orbital Period · P
1,965 yr
v(q)
34.9 km/s
v(Q)
0.2 km/s
TJ
0.95
Eccentricity · e
0.9908

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.449 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 312.4 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 310.9 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 156.9 AU gives an orbital period of 1,965 yr, or about 717,835 days.

The high eccentricity (0.991) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 51.92° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 34.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.2 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 0.95, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 489 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7417 arcseconds.

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
156.9 AU
Eccentricity
0.9908
Perihelion
1.449 AU
Aphelion
312.35652 AU
Inclination
51.92°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2450137.5
Mean Anomaly
0.01°

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
0.74169
Condition
—
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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