SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 U3

Rankin

Rankin follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.965 carries it from 2.276 AU at perihelion out to 127.0 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 178
Orbital Period · P
520 yr
v(q)
27.7 km/s
v(Q)
0.5 km/s
TJ
1.68
Eccentricity · e
0.9648

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.276 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 127.0 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 124.7 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 64.65 AU gives an orbital period of 520 yr, or about 189,864 days.

The high eccentricity (0.965) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 30.18° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 27.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.5 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 1.68, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 178 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4867 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 3 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

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
64.65 AU
Eccentricity
0.9648
Perihelion
2.276 AU
Aphelion
127.02432 AU
Inclination
30.18°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2459175.5
Mean Anomaly
359.86°

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
0.48666
Condition
3
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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