SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
LONEOS
NASA JPL SBDB · 2001 OG108

LONEOS

LONEOS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.925 carries it from 0.994 AU at perihelion out to 25.606 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 882
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
48.5 yr
v(q)
41.5 km/s
v(Q)
1.6 km/s
TJ
0.6
Eccentricity · e
0.9253

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.994 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 25.606 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 24.612 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 13.3 AU gives an orbital period of 48.5 yr, or about 17,716 days.

The high eccentricity (0.925) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 80.25° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 41.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 1.6 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 = 0.6, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

The measured diameter is 13.6 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

Its geometric albedo of 0.054 indicates a very dark, carbonaceous-type surface.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 882 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6249 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 2 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
13.3 AU
Eccentricity
0.9253
Perihelion
0.994 AU
Aphelion
25.60649 AU
Inclination
80.25°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2452248.5
Mean Anomaly
357.96°

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
13.6 km
Albedo
0.054
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
—

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.62489
Condition
2
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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