 Fragment A of 101P/Chernykh imaged from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 2 February 2020 | |
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Nikolai S. Chernykh |
| Discovery site | Crimean Astrophysical Observatory |
| Discovery date | 19 August 1977 |
| Designations | |
| P/1977 Q1, P/1991 L1 | |
| |
| Orbital characteristics [2] [3] [4] | |
| Epoch | 17 October 2024 (JD 2460600.5) |
| Observation arc | 44.53 years |
| Number of observations | 1,932 |
| Aphelion | 9.281 AU (A) 9.249 AU (B) |
| Perihelion | 2.349 AU (A) 2.351 AU (B) |
| Semi-major axis | 5.815 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.5962 |
| Orbital period | 14.02 years (A) 13.97 years (B) |
| Inclination | 5.049° |
| 116.14° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 277.93° |
| Mean anomaly | 122.19° |
| Last perihelion | 12 January 2020 (A) 31 January 2020 (B) [5] |
| Next perihelion | 10 January 2034 (A) 21 February 2034 (B) [6] |
| TJupiter | 2.584 (A) 2.588 (B) |
| Earth MOID | 1.338 AU (A) 1.362 AU (B) |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.158 AU (A) 0.095 AU (B) |
| Physical characteristics [3] [4] | |
| Dimensions | 5.6 km (3.5 mi) (A) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 13.7 (A) 13.0 (B) |
101P/Chernykh [7] is a periodic comet which was first discovered on 19 August 1977, by Nikolaj Stepanovich Chernykh. [1] [8] It will next come to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in 2034.
In April 1991, the comet was observed to split in two. Zdenek Sekanina, from JPL, concluded that the comet split at a distance of 3.3 AU (490 million km) from the Sun. [9]
The primary nucleus is 5.6 km (3.5 mi) in diameter and was last observed in 2022. [3] Fragment B has not been observed since 2006. [4] As of epoch 2022, fragment B takes 21 days longer to orbit the Sun. [10]
| Year | Horizons difference |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 day |
| 2020 | 18 days |
| 2034 | 43 days |
