Dormant comet · (3552) Don Quixote
3552 Don Quixote
A large near-Earth object on a comet-like orbit long suspected to be a dormant comet; faint carbon-dioxide activity was detected in 2013, suggesting it is not fully extinct.
Comets
Orbit & physical parameters
Osculating orbit and physical parameters from the NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Amor · near-Earth · epoch 2026-06-09 (JD 2461200.5 TDB) · Earth MOID 0.342279 au
| Semi-major axis | 4.270699 ± 1.9612e-8 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Eccentricity | 0.707402 ± 2.4294e-8 | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Perihelion distance | 1.249599 ± 1.0461e-7 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Aphelion distance | 7.2918 ± 3.3486e-8 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Inclination | 31.052725 ± 4.9936e-6 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Longitude of ascending node | 349.967253 ± 7.2857e-6 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Argument of perihelion | 316.491565 ± 7.5934e-6 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Orbital period | 3,224 ± 2.2206e-5 d | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Diameter | 19 km | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Geometric albedo | 0.03 | NASA JPL · estimated |
| Rotation period | 6.665 h | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.02 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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, 1774 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
Class:Jupiter-Family Comets
Knowledge connections
- Member of groupJupiter-Family Comets
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.