349P/Lemmon

Mid-sized Encke-type Comet

Space Reference » Encke-type Comets » 349P/Lemmon

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Encke-type Comet
  • Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan (2.98 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

349P/Lemmon is a mid-sized comet whose orbit brings it closer to the sun than Jupiter. NASA JPL has not classified 349P/Lemmon as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

349P/Lemmon orbits the sun every 2,460 days (6.74 years), coming as close as 2.50 AU and reaching as far as 4.64 AU from the sun. 349P/Lemmon is about 3.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

349P/Lemmon's orbit is 1.49 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

349P/Lemmon's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 14, 2010. It was last officially observed on Aug. 8, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 127 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This comet is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 349P/Lemmon:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2457302.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.568 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3005
  • Inclination: 5.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 331.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 256.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 258.98°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.98300 km
  • Magnitude: 7.5
  • Albedo: 0.104

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,460 days (6.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 15.78 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.64 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.50 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 349P/Lemmon is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 349P/Lemmon to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.