SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2019 L2

NEOWISE

NEOWISE follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.937 carries it from 1.622 AU at perihelion out to 49.66 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 117
Orbital Period · P
130 yr
v(q)
32.5 km/s
v(Q)
1.1 km/s
TJ
-1.17
Eccentricity · e
0.9368

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.622 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 49.66 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 48.038 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 25.64 AU gives an orbital period of 130 yr, or about 47,421 days.

The high eccentricity (0.937) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 152.2° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 1.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = -1.17, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 117 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6704 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

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
25.64 AU
Eccentricity
0.9368
Perihelion
1.622 AU
Aphelion
49.659552 AU
Inclination
152.19°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458669.5
Mean Anomaly
0.71°

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
0.67037
Condition
7
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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