SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2024 A2

ATLAS

ATLAS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.942 carries it from 1.882 AU at perihelion out to 62.837 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 497
Orbital Period · P
184 yr
v(q)
30.3 km/s
v(Q)
0.9 km/s
TJ
-0.65
Eccentricity · e
0.9418

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.882 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 62.837 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 60.955 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 32.36 AU gives an orbital period of 184 yr, or about 67,236 days.

The high eccentricity (0.942) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 119.1° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 30.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.9 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 ATLAS, so its physical size remains unconstrained.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 497 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2858 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 2 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
32.36 AU
Eccentricity
0.9418
Perihelion
1.882 AU
Aphelion
62.836648 AU
Inclination
119.11°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2460496.5
Mean Anomaly
0.36°

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
0.28578
Condition
2
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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