SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 403P

CATALINA

CATALINA follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.504 carries it from 2.684 AU at perihelion out to 8.132 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 215
Orbital Period · P
12.6 yr
v(q)
22.3 km/s
v(Q)
7.4 km/s
TJ
2.68
Eccentricity · e
0.5037

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.684 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 8.132 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 5.448 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 5.408 AU gives an orbital period of 12.6 yr, or about 4,594 days.

The high eccentricity (0.504) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 12.32° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 22.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 7.4 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.68, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

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

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 215 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7351 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
5.408 AU
Eccentricity
0.5037
Perihelion
2.684 AU
Aphelion
8.13201 AU
Inclination
12.32°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457066.5
Mean Anomaly
200.04°

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
0.73512
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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