SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 Y1

LINEAR

LINEAR follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.991 carries it from 2.514 AU at perihelion out to 581.1 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 573
Orbital Period · P
4,985 yr
v(q)
26.5 km/s
v(Q)
0.1 km/s
TJ
0.65
Eccentricity · e
0.9914

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.514 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 581.1 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 578.6 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 291.8 AU gives an orbital period of 4,985 yr, or about 1,820,615 days.

The high eccentricity (0.991) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 71.22° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 26.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 0.65, 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 573 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5833 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
291.8 AU
Eccentricity
0.9914
Perihelion
2.514 AU
Aphelion
581.09052 AU
Inclination
71.22°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457447.5
Mean Anomaly
359.98°

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
0.58328
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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