SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 43P

Wolf-Harrington

Wolf-Harrington follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.439 carries it from 2.418 AU at perihelion out to 6.196 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 3,619
Orbital Period · P
8.94 yr
v(q)
23 km/s
v(Q)
9 km/s
TJ
2.82
Eccentricity · e
0.4386

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.418 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 6.196 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.778 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 4.307 AU gives an orbital period of 8.94 yr, or about 3,265 days.

The high eccentricity (0.439) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 9.39° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 23 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9 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

The measured diameter is 3.6 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 3,619 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7336 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
4.307 AU
Eccentricity
0.4386
Perihelion
2.418 AU
Aphelion
6.19605 AU
Inclination
9.39°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2459065.5
Mean Anomaly
158.43°

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
3.6 km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
—

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.73362
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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