SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 401P

McNaught

McNaught follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.582 carries it from 2.38 AU at perihelion out to 9.006 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 268
Orbital Period · P
13.6 yr
v(q)
24.3 km/s
v(Q)
6.4 km/s
TJ
2.57
Eccentricity · e
0.582

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.38 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 9.006 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 6.626 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 5.693 AU gives an orbital period of 13.6 yr, or about 4,961 days.

The high eccentricity (0.582) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 12.87° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 24.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 6.4 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.57, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 268 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6534 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
5.693 AU
Eccentricity
0.582
Perihelion
2.38 AU
Aphelion
9.006326 AU
Inclination
12.87°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2454728.5
Mean Anomaly
62.79°

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
0.65336
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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