SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 214P

LINEAR

LINEAR follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.49 carries it from 1.84 AU at perihelion out to 5.369 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 131
Orbital Period · P
6.84 yr
v(q)
26.8 km/s
v(Q)
9.2 km/s
TJ
2.84
Eccentricity · e
0.4896

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.84 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 5.369 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.529 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 3.604 AU gives an orbital period of 6.84 yr, or about 2,499 days.

The high eccentricity (0.49) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 15.23° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 26.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.2 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.84, 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 131 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6655 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 1 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
3.604 AU
Eccentricity
0.4896
Perihelion
1.84 AU
Aphelion
5.368518 AU
Inclination
15.23°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2452790.5
Mean Anomaly
65.67°

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
0.66554
Condition
1
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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