Chiron Fact Sheet

Information on Comet 95P/Chiron / Minor Planet (2060) Chiron

Perihelion Date: 14 February 1996, 18:06 UT
Perihelion Distance: 8.4639422 AU
Date of Perihelion Opposition: 01 April 1996 (closest approach to Earth)
Orbital Period: 50.7 years
Eccentricity: 0.3831118
Inclination: 6.93540 degrees
Semi-Major Axis: ~13.70354 AU
Aphelion: ~18.94314 AU
Mass: 2 x 1018 to 1019 kg
Diameter: 148 to 208 km
Rotation Period: ~5.9 hours
Asteroid Classification: B-type
Discoverer: Charles Kowal
Date of Discovery: 01 November 1977 (on a photographic plate taken 18 October)

Osculating Orbital Elements

B1950.0 reference frame, Epoch 2450100.5 (17 Jan 1996)

Semi-Major Axis: 13.7053530 AU
Eccentricity: 0.3831649
Inclination: 6.93524 deg.
Longitude of Ascending Node: 208.65735 deg.
Longitude of Perihelion: 339.58061 deg.
Mean Anomaly: 359.46170 deg.

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For questions about planetary data at the NSSDC, please contact:
David Williams, dwilliams@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov, (301) 441-4197
NSSDC/Hughes STX, Suite 400, 7701 Greenbelt Rd.
Greenbelt, MD 20770 USA
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NASA Official: J.H. King, king@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov
Last Updated: 10 January 1996, DRW