SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 230P

LINEAR

LINEAR follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.563 carries it from 1.485 AU at perihelion out to 5.315 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 1,528
Orbital Period · P
6.27 yr
v(q)
30.6 km/s
v(Q)
8.5 km/s
TJ
2.82
Eccentricity · e
0.5631

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.485 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 5.315 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.83 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 3.4 AU gives an orbital period of 6.27 yr, or about 2,290 days.

The high eccentricity (0.563) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 14.65° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 30.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.5 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.82, 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 1,528 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.427 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 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
3.4 AU
Eccentricity
0.5631
Perihelion
1.485 AU
Aphelion
5.31454 AU
Inclination
14.65°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457211.5
Mean Anomaly
339.08°

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
0.42699
Condition
0
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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