SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2003 T12

SOHO

SOHO follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.776 carries it from 0.575 AU at perihelion out to 4.561 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 491
Orbital Period · P
4.12 yr
v(q)
52.3 km/s
v(Q)
6.6 km/s
TJ
2.89
Eccentricity · e
0.7762

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.575 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.561 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.986 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.568 AU gives an orbital period of 4.12 yr, or about 1,503 days.

The high eccentricity (0.776) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 11.48° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 52.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 6.6 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 = 2.89, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 491 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3475 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 1 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
2.568 AU
Eccentricity
0.7762
Perihelion
0.575 AU
Aphelion
4.561282 AU
Inclination
11.48°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2456072.5
Mean Anomaly
28.63°

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
2028-Jul-17 04:52 0.305325 AU
45675905 km
30.31 km/s
2032-Nov-01 09:55 0.399611 AU
59781019 km
21.52 km/s
2053-Aug-12 18:36 0.165822 AU
24806594 km
19.50 km/s
2058-Jan-02 03:10 0.258188 AU
38624413 km
16.05 km/s
2078-Aug-17 22:43 0.225974 AU
33805165 km
18.28 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
0.34753
Condition
1
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.

Keep exploring

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