SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
LONEOS
NASA JPL SBDB · 1999 RO28

LONEOS

LONEOS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.65 carries it from 1.233 AU at perihelion out to 5.817 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 120
Encyclopedia excerpt
Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by astronomer Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. The LONEOS project began in 1993 and ran until the end of February 2008.
Orbital Period · P
6.62 yr
v(q)
34.5 km/s
v(Q)
7.3 km/s
TJ
2.71
Eccentricity · e
0.6501

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.233 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 5.817 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 4.584 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 3.525 AU gives an orbital period of 6.62 yr, or about 2,417 days.

The high eccentricity (0.65) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 8.19° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 34.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 7.3 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.71, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 120 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.528 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
3.525 AU
Eccentricity
0.6501
Perihelion
1.233 AU
Aphelion
5.816603 AU
Inclination
8.19°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2452876.5
Mean Anomaly
212.05°

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

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2044-Sep-30 02:15 0.179894 AU
26911745 km
6.15 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
—

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.52804
Condition
0
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. 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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