SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 8P

Tuttle

Tuttle follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.82 carries it from 1.027 AU at perihelion out to 10.373 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 1,768
Orbital Period · P
13.6 yr
v(q)
39.6 km/s
v(Q)
3.9 km/s
TJ
1.6
Eccentricity · e
0.8198

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.027 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 10.373 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 9.346 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 5.7 AU gives an orbital period of 13.6 yr, or about 4,971 days.

The high eccentricity (0.82) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 54.98° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 39.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 3.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 1.6, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

The measured diameter is 4.5 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 1,768 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6884 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
5.7 AU
Eccentricity
0.8198
Perihelion
1.027 AU
Aphelion
10.37286 AU
Inclination
54.98°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2454701.5
Mean Anomaly
15.13°

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

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2048-Dec-28 11:04 0.175195 AU
26208803 km
31.96 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

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

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.6884
Condition
0
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. 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.

Keep exploring

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.