SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NEAT
NASA JPL SBDB · 2002 V1

NEAT

NEAT follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 1 carries it from 0.099 AU at perihelion out to 2,021.9 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 1,510
Encyclopedia excerpt
Comet NEAT, formally designated as C/2002 V1, is a non-periodic comet that appeared in November 2002. The comet peaked with an apparent magnitude of approximately –0.5, making it the eighth-brightest comet seen since 1935. It was seen by SOHO in February 2003. At perihelion the comet was only 0.0992 AU (14.84 million km) from the Sun, where it was initially expected to be disintegrated, however reanalysis of its orbit has indicated that it has survived many of its previous perihelia, thus making breakup unlikely.
Orbital Period · P
32,146 yr
v(q)
133.9 km/s
v(Q)
0 km/s
TJ
0.06
Eccentricity · e
0.9999

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.099 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2,021.9 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2,021.8 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1,011.0 AU gives an orbital period of 32,146 yr, or about 11,741,321 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 81.71° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 133.9 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 = 0.06, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 1,510 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6368 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
1011.0 AU
Eccentricity
0.9999
Perihelion
0.099 AU
Aphelion
2021.8989 AU
Inclination
81.71°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2452634.5
Mean Anomaly
360.0°

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
—

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.63675
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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