210P/Christensen

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210P/Christensen
SECCHI Makes a Fantastic Recovery - Hi1-B p2003k2 panel.jpg
Recovery image of the comet by STEREO on 13 December 2008
Discovery [1]
Discovered by Eric J. Christensen
Discovery site Catalina Sky Survey
Discovery date26 May 2003
Designations
P/2003 K2, P/2008 X4
Orbital characteristics [2] [3]
Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
Observation arc 22.35 years
Number of
observations		947
Aphelion 5.797 AU
Perihelion 0.524 AU
Semi-major axis 3.161 AU
Eccentricity 0.83408
Orbital period 5.619 years
Inclination 10.287°
93.797°
Argument of
periapsis 		345.95°
Mean anomaly 359.69°
Last perihelion7 April 2020
Next perihelion22 November 2025
TJupiter 2.492
Earth MOID 0.170 AU
Jupiter MOID 0.019 AU
Physical characteristics [2]
Dimensions 0.87 km (0.54 mi) [4]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		14.9

210P/Christensen is a Jupiter family comet with an orbital period of 5.7 years. It was discovered by Eric J. Christensen on 26 May 2003 in images taken by the Catalina Sky Survey [1] and recovered in images obtained by STEREO, the first time a single-apparition comet was recovered by a spacecraft. [5]

Contents

Observational history

Eric J. Christensen discovered the comet on 26 May 2003 in images taken with the 0.7-m Schmidt telescope of the Catalina Sky Survey. The comet had an estimated magnitude of 14.6 and a coma with an estimated diameter between 10 and 35 arcseconds and a faint tail. [1] Further observations revealed the comet had a short orbital period. [6]

In mid December 2008, Australian comet-hunter Alan Watson spotted in the STEREO/SECCHI Heliospheric Imager ("HI") HI-1B data a cometary object. Veteran German comet hunter Rainer Kracht recorded a few positions of the comet in the data and produced a set of very approximate orbital elements for it. [5] Maik Meyer noticed the similarity of these orbital elements to those of P/2003 K2 and the link was confirmed by Brian G. Marsden. [5] [7] This was the first recovery of a single-apparition comet by a spacecraft. [5] The comet was observed from the ground on 14 December 2008, located low and in bright twilight, and on 31 December 2008 it had an estimated magnitude of 10.5. [8] During the 2025 apparition, the comet was visible in SWAN in November 2025 around magnitude 11. On 26 November it was visible low in the morning twilight, with a faint tail about a quarter of a degree long and an estimated magnitude of 9.5. [9]

The comet has been locked in a 2:1 orbital resonance with Jupiter for the last 10,000 years and could be of asteroidal origin. [4] Its nucleus is estimated to be about 1.74 km (1.08 mi) in diameter. [4] It makes close approaches to Venus and on 17 September 1929 passed 0.032 AU (4.8 million km; 3.0 million mi) from Venus. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 E. J. Christensen; R. Elliot; P. R. Holvorcem (27 May 2003). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet C/2003 K2". IAU Circular. 8136 (1). Bibcode:2003IAUC.8136....1C.
  2. 1 2 3 "210P/Christensen – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "210P/Christensen Orbit". Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 J. A. Fernández; A. Sosa (2015). "Jupiter family comets in near-Earth orbits: Are some of them interlopers from the asteroid belt?". Planetary & Space Science. 118: 14–24. Bibcode:2015P&SS..118...14F. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2015.07.010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 A. Patel (17 December 2008). "SECCHI Makes a Fantastic Recovery!". stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA / GSFC . Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  6. ↑ D. W. Green (7 June 2003). "Comet P/2003 K2 (Christensen)". IAU Circular. 8145 (2). Bibcode:2003IAUC.8145....2G.
  7. ↑ K. Battams; A. Watson; R. Kracht; M. Meyer; B. G. Marsden (December 2008). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet P/2008 X4 = P/2003 K2 (Christensen)" . IAU Circular. 9005 (1). Bibcode:2008IAUC.9005....1B.
  8. ↑ K. Kadota; B. G. Marsden (January 2009). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet P/2008 X4 (Christensen)" . IAU Circular. 9008 (2). Bibcode:2009IAUC.9008....2K.
  9. ↑ Olason, Mike (27 November 2025). "Bright Comet 210P/Christensen". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
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