SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2012 A2

LINEAR

LINEAR follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.996 carries it from 3.537 AU at perihelion out to 1,955.1 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 2,643
Orbital Period · P
30,646 yr
v(q)
22.4 km/s
v(Q)
0 km/s
TJ
-1.36
Eccentricity · e
0.9964

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 3.537 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1,955.1 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1,951.5 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 979.3 AU gives an orbital period of 30,646 yr, or about 11,193,447 days.

The high eccentricity (0.996) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 125.9° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 22.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = -1.36, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 2,643 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5325 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
979.3 AU
Eccentricity
0.9964
Perihelion
3.537 AU
Aphelion
1955.07452 AU
Inclination
125.87°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2456263.5
Mean Anomaly
0.0°

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
0.53248
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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