SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2012 OP

Siding Spring

Siding Spring follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.997 carries it from 3.607 AU at perihelion out to 2,106.4 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 100
Orbital Period · P
34,267 yr
v(q)
22.2 km/s
v(Q)
0 km/s
TJ
-0.98
Eccentricity · e
0.9966

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 3.607 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2,106.4 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2,102.8 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1,055.0 AU gives an orbital period of 34,267 yr, or about 12,516,097 days.

The high eccentricity (0.997) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 114.8° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 22.2 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = -0.98, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 100 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3888 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
1055.0 AU
Eccentricity
0.9966
Perihelion
3.607 AU
Aphelion
2106.413 AU
Inclination
114.83°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2456315.5
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
0.38876
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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