The position of an object represents

• its orbit’s semi-major axis a in AU and orbital period in years (horizontal axis)
• orbit’s inclination i in degrees (vertical axis).

The size of the circle illustrates the object’s size relative to others. For a few large objects, the diameter drawn represents the best current estimates. For all others, the circles represent the absolute magnitude of the object. The eccentricity of the orbit is shown indirectly by a segment extending from the left (perihelion) to the aphelion to the right. In other words, the segment illustrates the variations of the object's distance from the Sun. Objects with nearly circular orbits will show short segments while highly elliptical orbits will be represented by long segments.

The orbits of planets Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are marked with grey arcs.

Data source: Minor Planet Center Orbit database (MPCORB), last update: 2008-10-05.