Facts about Orcus's orbital characteristics
- 07
Orcus and Pluto maintain an orbital resonance relationship where Orcus completes two orbits for every three Pluto orbits, keeping them in a stable gravitational configuration throughout the outer solar system.
- 06
Orcus's orbital eccentricity of 0.227 creates an elliptical path where its distance from the Sun varies by approximately 17.9 astronomical units between perihelion and aphelion.
- 05
Orcus completes one full orbit every 248.5 Earth years, with its discovery in 2004 meaning this distant dwarf planet has traveled only 0.4 percent of its orbital path since human detection.
- 04
Orcus's aphelion distance of 48.6 astronomical units means it recedes nearly twice as far from the Sun as Neptune, spending most of its orbital period in the distant outer solar system.
- 03
The dwarf planet's orbital inclination of 20.6 degrees makes Orcus one of the most tilted objects in the trans-Neptunian region, significantly exceeding most other Kuiper Belt bodies.
- 02
Orcus reaches its closest approach to the Sun at 30.7 astronomical units, placing it consistently beyond Neptune's 30 AU average distance throughout its entire orbit.
- 01
Approximately 248 years comprise Orcus's complete orbital period around the Sun, nearly identical to Pluto's 249-year cycle.