SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2005 S2

Skiff

Skiff follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.198 carries it from 6.398 AU at perihelion out to 9.558 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 110
Orbital Period · P
22.5 yr
v(q)
12.9 km/s
v(Q)
8.6 km/s
TJ
3.08
Eccentricity · e
0.1981

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 6.398 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 9.558 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.16 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 7.978 AU gives an orbital period of 22.5 yr, or about 8,231 days.

An eccentricity of 0.198 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 3.14° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 12.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.6 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 3.08, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 110 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6386 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
7.978 AU
Eccentricity
0.1981
Perihelion
6.398 AU
Aphelion
9.558442 AU
Inclination
3.14°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2455018.5
Mean Anomaly
48.31°

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
0.63857
Condition
1
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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