SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2019 J2

Palomar

Palomar follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.998 carries it from 1.727 AU at perihelion out to 1,483.3 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 312
Orbital Period · P
20,232 yr
v(q)
32 km/s
v(Q)
0 km/s
TJ
-0.42
Eccentricity · e
0.9977

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.727 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1,483.3 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1,481.6 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 742.5 AU gives an orbital period of 20,232 yr, or about 7,389,838 days.

The high eccentricity (0.998) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 105.1° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = -0.42, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 312 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 1.109 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
742.5 AU
Eccentricity
0.9977
Perihelion
1.727 AU
Aphelion
1483.29225 AU
Inclination
105.14°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458644.5
Mean Anomaly
360.0°

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
1.109
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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