SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2014 M2

Christensen

Christensen follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.993 carries it from 6.91 AU at perihelion out to 1,897.8 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 57
Orbital Period · P
29,392 yr
v(q)
16 km/s
v(Q)
0.1 km/s
TJ
2.76
Eccentricity · e
0.9927

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 6.91 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1,897.8 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1,890.9 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 952.4 AU gives an orbital period of 29,392 yr, or about 10,735,427 days.

The high eccentricity (0.993) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 32.42° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 16 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.76, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 57 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5484 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
952.4 AU
Eccentricity
0.9927
Perihelion
6.91 AU
Aphelion
1897.84748 AU
Inclination
32.42°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2456857.5
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
0.54845
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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