3200 Phaethon
A near-Earth asteroid that brightens and sheds dust as it passes very close to the Sun — a 'rock comet' — and the parent body of the Geminid meteor shower, unusual for a shower whose source is an asteroid rather than a comet.
Orbit & physical parameters
Osculating orbit and physical parameters from the NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Apollo · near-Earth · potentially hazardous · epoch 2026-06-09 (JD 2461200.5 TDB) · Earth MOID 0.0187322 au
| Semi-major axis | 1.271465 ± 7.6705e-10 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Eccentricity | 0.889672 ± 4.6983e-10 | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Perihelion distance | 0.140278 ± 6.2773e-10 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Aphelion distance | 2.402651 ± 1.4495e-9 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Inclination | 22.310527 ± 9.4161e-8 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Longitude of ascending node | 265.098806 ± 1.7105e-7 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Argument of perihelion | 322.300168 ± 1.5125e-7 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Orbital period | 523.666566 ± 4.7388e-7 d | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Diameter | 6.25 ± 0.15 km | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Geometric albedo | 0.1066 ± 0.011 | NASA JPL · estimated |
| Rotation period | 3.604 h | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.38 mag | NASA JPL · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- Semi-major axis: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · a · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Eccentricity: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · e · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Perihelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · q · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Aphelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · ad · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Inclination: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · i · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Longitude of ascending node: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · om · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Argument of perihelion: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · w · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Orbital period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · per · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Diameter: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.diameter · catalogued value · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Geometric albedo: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.albedo · Bayesian estimate · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Rotation period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.rot_per · catalogued value · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Absolute magnitude (H): Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.H · catalogued value · JPL solution by Otto Matic, 8544 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
Orbital elements are a calculated JPL orbit-determination fit, all referred to the single osculating epoch above (solution by Otto Matic); each carries its own uncertainty. Fields the database did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Classification & origin
Knowledge connections
- Source of meteor showerGeminids
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.