SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 256P

LINEAR

LINEAR follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.419 carries it from 2.689 AU at perihelion out to 6.573 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 270
Orbital Period · P
9.97 yr
v(q)
21.6 km/s
v(Q)
8.9 km/s
TJ
2.64
Eccentricity · e
0.4194

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.689 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 6.573 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.884 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 4.631 AU gives an orbital period of 9.97 yr, or about 3,640 days.

The high eccentricity (0.419) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 27.63° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 21.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.64, 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 270 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7973 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
4.631 AU
Eccentricity
0.4194
Perihelion
2.689 AU
Aphelion
6.573241 AU
Inclination
27.63°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457065.5
Mean Anomaly
68.87°

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
0.79728
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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