209P/LINEAR

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209P/LINEAR
209P 2014-05-28 NEOWISE image 3-color.png
Discovery
Discovered by LINEAR
1.0-m reflector [1]
Discovery date3 February 2004 (asteroidal)
30 March 2004 (tail)
Designations
2004 CB
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 2014-May-23
(JD 2456800.5) [2]
Aphelion 4.952 AU (Q)
Perihelion 0.9695 AU (q)
Semi-major axis 2.961 AU (a)
Eccentricity 0.67258
Orbital period 5.09 yr
Inclination 21.243°
Last perihelion2019-Jun-12 [2]
2014-May-06 [3]
2009-Apr-15 [3]
Next perihelion2024-Jul-14 [4]
Earth MOID 0.05 AU (7,500,000 km) [5]
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 3.9 × 2.7 × 2.6 km [6]
10.9 hours [7]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		18.1 [5]

209P/LINEAR is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 5.1 years. The comet has extremely low activity for its size and is probably in the process of evolving into an extinct comet. [6]

Contents

Observational history

The comet discovered on 3 February 2004 by Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) using a 1.0-metre (39 in) reflector. [1] Initially it was observed without a coma and named 2004 CB as a minor planet or asteroid, but in March 2004 Robert H. McNaught observed a comet tail which confirmed it as a comet. [8] It was given the permanent number 209P on 12 December 2008 as it was the second observed appearance of the comet. [9] Prediscovery images of the comet, dating back to December 2003, were found during 2009. [8]

209P/LINEAR came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 6 May 2014. [3] On 29 May 2014 the comet passed 0.0554  AU (8,290,000  km ; 5,150,000  mi ) from Earth, [5] but only brightened to about apparent magnitude 12. [10] The 2014 Earth approach was the 9th closest known comet approach to Earth. [11] The close approach allowed the comet nucleus to be imaged by Arecibo, producing the most detailed radar image of a comet nucleus to that date. [12] The radar imaging showed the comet nucleus is elongated and about 2.4 km by 3 km in size, [12] later refined to 3.9 × 2.7 × 2.6 km. [6] No evidence of large dust particles were detected in the coma. [7] The comet also had very low water production, (2.5±0.2)×1025 mol/s, from an active area measuring just 0.007 km². [6]

209P/LINEAR was recovered on 31 December 2018 at magnitude 19.2 by Hidetaka Sato. [13]

Associated meteor showers

Preliminary results by Esko Lyytinen and Peter Jenniskens, later confirmed by other researchers, predicted [14] [15] [16] 209P/LINEAR might a big meteor shower which would come from the constellation Camelopardalis on the night of 23/24 May 2014. It was possible that there could be 100 to 400 meteors per hour. [14] All the trails from the comet from 1803 through 1924 were expected to intersect Earth's orbit during May 2014. [14] The peak activity was expected to occur around 24 May 2014 7h UT when dust trails produced from past returns of the comet could pass 0.0002  AU (30,000  km ; 19,000  mi ) from Earth. [16] The 2014 Camelopardalids only generated 10–15 visual meteors per hour. [17] [18] But the expected radiant and date of visual maximum were correctly predicted. [18] The shower peaked around 6h UT on 24 May 2014. [18] The Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) detected the shower using HF/VHF radar echos but the particles were too small for visual detection. Earth encountered the 1939 stream around 24 May 2019 8h UT with a ZHR of ~5. The Eta Aquariids also occur at this time of year. [19]

The comet has also being suggested to be the parent body of the lambda Draconids, which is active from April 24 to June 4, and peaks around May 12. However it is possible that it is the same shower as the Camelopardalids. [20]

209P/LINEAR may also be the source of the weak 6–14 June meteor shower "sigma Ursae Majorids" (SIM #677). [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meteor shower</span> Celestial event caused by streams of meteoroids entering Earths atmosphere

A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories. Most meteors are smaller than a grain of sand, so almost all of them disintegrate and never hit the Earth's surface. Very intense or unusual meteor showers are known as meteor outbursts and meteor storms, which produce at least 1,000 meteors an hour, most notably from the Leonids. The Meteor Data Centre lists over 900 suspected meteor showers of which about 100 are well established. Several organizations point to viewing opportunities on the Internet. NASA maintains a daily map of active meteor showers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">46P/Wirtanen</span> Periodic comet with 5 year orbit

46P/Wirtanen is a small short-period comet with a current orbital period of 5.4 years. It was the original target for close investigation by the Rosetta spacecraft, planned by the European Space Agency, but an inability to meet the launch window caused Rosetta to be sent to 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko instead. It belongs to the Jupiter family of comets, all of which have aphelia between 5 and 6 AU. Its diameter is estimated at 1.4 kilometres (0.9 mi). In December 2019, astronomers reported capturing an outburst of the comet in substantial detail by the TESS space telescope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26P/Grigg–Skjellerup</span> Periodic comet with 5 year orbit

Comet Grigg–Skjellerup is a periodic comet. It was visited by the Giotto probe in July 1992. The spacecraft came as close as 200 km, but could not take pictures because some instruments were damaged from its encounter with Halley's Comet. The comet last came to perihelion on 25 December 2023, but was 1.8 AU from Earth and only 31 degrees from the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3200 Phaethon</span> Asteroid responsible for the Geminids meteor shower

3200 Phaethon, provisionally designated 1983 TB, is an active Apollo asteroid with an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than any other named asteroid. For this reason, it was named after the Greek myth of Phaëthon, son of the sun god Helios. It is 5.8 km (3.6 mi) in diameter and is the parent body of the Geminids meteor shower of mid-December. With an observation arc of 35+ years, it has a very well determined orbit. The 2017 Earth approach distance of about 10 million km was known with an accuracy of ±700 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8P/Tuttle</span> Periodic comet with 13 year orbit

8P/Tuttle is a periodic comet with a 13.6-year orbit. It fits the classical definition of a Jupiter-family comet with an orbital period of less than 20 years, but does not fit the modern definition of. Its last perihelion passage was 27 August 2021 when it had a solar elongation of 26 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude 9. Two weeks later, on September 12, 2021, it was about 1.8 AU (270 million km) from Earth which is about as far from Earth as the comet can get when the comet is near perihelion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann</span> Multiple fragment periodic comet with 5-year orbit

73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann, also known as Schwassmann–Wachmann 3 or SW3 for short, is a periodic comet that has a 5.4 year orbital period and that has been actively disintegrating since 1995. When it came to perihelion in March 2017, fragment 73P-BT was separating from the main fragment 73P-C. Fragments 73P-BU and 73P-BV were detected in July 2022. The main comet came to perihelion on 25 August 2022, when the comet was 0.97 AU from the Sun and 1 AU from Earth. It will be less than 80 degrees from the Sun from 25 May 2022 until August 2023. On 3 April 2025 it will make a modest approach of 0.3 AU to Jupiter. 73P will next come to perihelion on 23 December 2027 when it will be 0.92 AU from the Sun and on the far side of the Sun 1.9 AU from Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comet IRAS–Araki–Alcock</span> Comet

Comet IRAS–Araki–Alcock is a long-period comet that, in 1983, made the closest known approach to Earth of any comet in 200 years, at a distance of about 0.0312 AU. The comet was named after its discoverers – the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and two amateur astronomers, George Alcock of the United Kingdom and Genichi Araki of Japan. Both men were schoolteachers by profession, although Alcock was retired. Alcock had made his discovery simply by observing through the window of his home, using binoculars. During the closest approach, the comet appeared as a circular cloud about the size of the full moon, having no discernible tail, and shining at a naked eye magnitude of 3–4. It swept across the sky at an angular speed of about 30 degrees per day. On May 11 the comet was detected on radar by Arecibo Observatory and Goldstone Solar System Radar making it the first comet detected by two different radar systems. A second detection was made by Goldstone on 14 May.

169/NEAT is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It is the parent body of the alpha Capricornids meteor shower in Late July. 169/NEAT may be related to comet P/2003 T12 (SOHO). 169P is a low activity comet roughly a few kilometers in diameter. It could have originated from the main asteroid belt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7P/Pons–Winnecke</span> Periodic comet with 6-year orbit

7P/Pons–Winnecke is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with a six-year orbit. Early calculations for the 1921 apparition suggested that the orbit of the comet might collide with Earth in June, but observations on 10 April ruled out an impact. It made a very close approach to Earth in June 1927. The outward migration of perihelion created impressive meteor showers in 1916, 1921 and 1927.

The Andromedids meteor shower is associated with Biela's Comet, the showers occurring as Earth passes through old streams left by the comet's tail. The comet was observed to have broken up by 1846; further drift of the pieces by 1852 suggested the moment of breakup was in either 1842 or early 1843, when the comet was near Jupiter. The breakup led to particularly spectacular showers in subsequent cycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková</span> Periodic comet with 5 year orbit

45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková is a short-period comet discovered by Minoru Honda December 3, 1948. It is named after Minoru Honda, Antonín Mrkos, and Ľudmila Pajdušáková. The object revolves around the Sun on an elliptical orbit with a period of 5.25 years. The nucleus is 1.3 kilometers in diameter. On August 19 and 20, 2011, it became the fifteenth comet detected by ground radar telescope.

C/2007 W1 (Boattini) is a long-period comet discovered on 20 November 2007, by Andrea Boattini at the Mt. Lemmon Survey. At the peak the comet had an apparent magnitude around 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tau Herculids</span> Annual meteor shower in May/June

The Tau Herculids are a meteor shower that when discovered in 1930 appeared to originate from the star Tau Herculis. The parent comet of the Tau Herculids is periodic comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 with a 5.4 year orbital period. This meteor shower occurs from May 19 - June 19. The meteor shower was first observed by the Kwasan Observatory in Kyoto, Japan in May 1930. The Tau Herculids' average radiant was α=236°, δ=+41°. Due to orbital perturbations of the meteor streams by Jupiter, 2022 activity will have a radiant of R.A. = 13:56 (209), Decl. = +28. The meteors are relatively slow moving making atmospheric entry at around 16 km/s (36,000 mph).

2004 TG10, is an eccentric asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. First observed by the Spacewatch survey on 8 October 2004, it may be a fragment of Comet Encke and is the source of the Northern Taurids meteor shower seen annually in November and the June Beta Taurids. The asteroid may be larger than one kilometer in diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">289P/Blanpain</span> Comet

289P/Blanpain, formerly D/1819 W1 (Blanpain) is a short-period comet with an orbital period of 5.2 years. It was discovered by Jean-Jacques Blanpain on November 28, 1819 but was considered lost until it was recovered in 2013. It was last observed in 2020.

255P/Levy, formerly P/2006 T1 and P/2011 Y1, is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 5.25 years. It last came to perihelion on 14 January 2012. During the 2006 passage the comet achieved an apparent magnitude of ~9.5. Levy (PK06T010) was believed to have been recovered on 3 June 2011 at magnitude 19.8, but other observatories were unable to confirm a recovery. It was most likely a false positive because of large residuals. Levy was recovered on 17 December 2011 at magnitude 19.8, and given the second designation 2011 Y1. It was then numbered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comet Swift–Tuttle</span> Periodic comet and parent of the Perseid meteors

Comet Swift–Tuttle is a large periodic comet with a 1995 (osculating) orbital period of 133 years that is in a 1:11 orbital resonance with Jupiter. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet, which has an orbital period between 20 and 200 years. The comet was independently discovered by Lewis Swift on July 16, 1862 and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on July 19, 1862.

<span class="nowrap">(214869) 2007 PA<sub>8</sub></span> Asteroid

(214869) 2007 PA8 is an asteroid and slow rotator, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 1.4 kilometers in diameter.

72P/Denning–Fujikawa is a periodic comet discovered on 4 October 1881 by William Frederick Denning. The comet was not seen at another apparition until recovered by Shigehisa Fujikawa in 1978. From 29 December 1978 until 17 June 2014, the comet was lost. On 17 June 2014 the comet was recovered by Hidetaka Sato at apparent magnitude 16 when it was 50 degrees from the Sun. The comet came to perihelion in June 2023, and will next come to perihelion in May 2032.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">252P/LINEAR</span> Periodic comet and near-earth object

Comet 252P/LINEAR is a periodic comet and near-Earth object discovered by the LINEAR survey on April 7, 2000. The comet is a Jupiter family comet, meaning that it passes quite close to the orbit of Jupiter.

References

  1. 1 2 "IAUC 8314: P/2004 CB; 2004ba, 2004bb". IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  2. 1 2 "209P/LINEAR Orbit". Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  3. 1 2 3 Syuichi Nakano (2011-10-31). "209P/LINEAR (NK 2142)". OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  4. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 209P/LINEAR on 2024-Jul-14" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons . Retrieved 2023-07-06. (JPL#141/Soln.date: 2023-Feb-13)
  5. 1 2 3 "JPL Close-Approach Data: 209P/LINEAR" (last observation: 2014-05-26; arc: 10.48 years). Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Schleicher, David G.; knight, Matthew m. (27 September 2016). "The Extremely Low Activity Comet 209P/Linear During ITS Extraordinary Close Approach in 2014". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (4): 89. arXiv: 1605.01705 . Bibcode:2016AJ....152...89S. doi: 10.3847/0004-6256/152/4/89 .
  7. 1 2 Howell, Ellen S.; Nolan, Michael C.; Taylor, Patrick A.; Springmann, Alessondra; Rodriguez-Ford, Linda; Zambrano-Marin, Luisa F.; Benner, Lance A.; Brozovic, Marina; Giorgini, Jon D.; Hergenrother, Carl (1 November 2014). "Radar images of Comet 209P/LINEAR: Constraints on shape and rotation". AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts. 46: 209.24. Bibcode:2014DPS....4620924H.
  8. 1 2 Gary W. Kronk. "209P/LINEAR". Cometography. Archived from the original on 2014-05-03. Retrieved 2014-05-03.
  9. ↑ "IAUC 9005: COMET P/2008 X4 = P/2003 K2 (CHRISTENSEN); 208P; V5580 Sgr". IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2012-10-03. (password required)
  10. ↑ Alan Hale. "455. COMET 209P/LINEAR P/2008 X2". Earthrise Institute (Southwest Institute for Space Research). Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  11. 1 2 Peter Jenniskens. "May Camelopardalids". SETI Institute . Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  12. 1 2 "Arecibo Observatory Sees Comet 209P/LINEAR". Universities Space Research Association (USRA). 2014-05-29. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  13. ↑ "Comets Waiting for First Observation". www.aerith.net.
  14. 1 2 3 "The next big meteor shower". IMCCE. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  15. ↑ "209P-ids 2014: prediction of activity". Archived from the original on 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
  16. 1 2 Wiegert, Paul A.; Quanzhi Ye (2013). "Will Comet 209P/LINEAR Generate the Next Meteor Storm?". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 437 (4): 3283–3287. arXiv: 1311.0235 . Bibcode:2014MNRAS.437.3283Y. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stt2127 .
  17. ↑ "Camelopardalids meteor shower a bust, but not a surprise". The Washington Post. 2014-05-24. 10:07AM. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  18. 1 2 3 "Camelopardalids 2014: First Results". International Meteor Organization. Archived from the original on 2014-05-25. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  19. ↑ "Meteor Activity Outlook for May 24–30, 2014". Archived from the original on 2014-05-25. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  20. ↑ Šegon, Damir; Gural, Peter; Andreić, Željko; Skokić, Ivica; Korlević, Korado; Vida, Denis; Novoselnik, Filip (1 April 2014). "New showers from parent body search across several video meteor databases". WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization. 42: 57–64. ISSN   1016-3115.
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