Metcalf-Brewington
Metcalf-Brewington follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.457 carries it from 2.607 AU at perihelion out to 6.993 AU at aphelion.
Orbit and dynamics
Between its closest point (2.607 AU) and its farthest (6.993 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 4.386 AU over every revolution.
One full revolution takes 10.5 yr (3,841 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 4.8 AU.
The high eccentricity (0.457) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.
The orbital plane is tilted 17.86° relative to the ecliptic.
By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 22.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.3 km/s at aphelion.
Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.71, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.
Size and surface
The measured diameter is 3.4 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.
Observation record and orbit quality
Astrometry from 391 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.7079 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
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.
