C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS)

Last updated

C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS)
Discovery [1] [2]
Discovered by M. E. Van Ness
Discovery site Lowell Observatory
(LONEOS)
Discovery date28 July 2001
Orbital characteristics [3]
Epoch 5 December 2001 (JD 2452248.5)
Observation arc 340 days
Number of
observations
882
Aphelion 25.606 AU
Perihelion 0.994 AU
Semi-major axis 13.300 AU
Eccentricity 0.92526
Orbital period 48.51 years
Inclination 80.245°
10.555°
Argument of
periapsis
116.42°
Last perihelion15 March 2002
Next perihelion7 June 2050 [4]
TJupiter 0.597
Earth MOID 0.301 AU
Jupiter MOID 0.968 AU
Physical characteristics [3]
Dimensions 13.6 ± 1.0 km (8.45 ± 0.62 mi)
57.12 hours
0.054
Comet total
magnitude
(M1)
13.3

C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS) is a Halley-type comet with an orbital period of 48.51 years. [3] It was discovered on 28 July 2001 by the LONEOS telescope at Lowell Observatory. [2] Of the short-period comets with known diameters and perihelion inside the orbit of Earth, C/2001 OG108 is the second largest after Comet Swift–Tuttle. [5]

Contents

Orbit

Observations taken in January and February 2002 showed that the "asteroid" had developed a small amount of cometary activity as it approached perihelion. [1] It was subsequently reclassified as a comet. [1] The comet came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 15 March 2002. [3] It will come to aphelion in 2026 and the next perihelion passage is calculated to be on 7 June 2050. [4] On 23 March 2147 the comet will pass about 0.42 AU (63 million km; 160 LD) from Earth [3] with an uncertainty region of about ±2 million km. [6]

C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS) Closest Earth Approach on 2147-Mar-23 11:20 UT [3]
Date & time of
closest approach
Earth distance
(AU)
Sun distance
(AU)
Velocity
wrt Earth
(km/s)
Velocity
wrt Sun
(km/s)
Uncertainty
region
(3-sigma)
Reference
2147-03-23 11:20 ± 13:380.42  AU (63 million  km ; 39 million  mi ; 160  LD )1.35 AU (202 million km; 125 million mi; 530 LD)40.335.3± 2 million km Horizons

This comet probably represents the transition between typical Halley-family/long-period comets and extinct comets. [1] Damocloids have been studied as possible extinct cometary candidates due to the similarity of their orbital parameters with those of Halley-family comets. [1]

Physical properties

The comet has a rotational period of 2.38 ± 0.02 days (57.12 hr). [1] [3]

In 2003, the comet was estimated to have a mean absolute V magnitude (H) of 13.05 ± 0.10, with an albedo of 0.03, giving an effective radius of 8.9 ± 0.7 km (5.53 ± 0.43 mi). [1] Using data from Fernandez (2004–2005) JPL lists the comet with an albedo of 0.05 and a diameter of 13.6 ± 1.0 km (8.45 ± 0.62 mi) [3]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 P. A. Abell; Y. R. Fernández; P. Pravec; L. M. French; T. L. Farnham; et al. (2003). Physical Characteristics of Asteroid-like Comet Nucleus C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS). 34th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. p. 1253. Bibcode:2003LPI....34.1253A.
  2. 1 2 L. M. French (2002). "Pre-Activity BVRI Colors of High-Inclination Comet C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS)". American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting No. 34, #16.01. 34: 868. Bibcode:2002DPS....34.1601F.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Horizons Batch for C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS) on 2050-Jun-07" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons . Retrieved 20 January 2023. (JPL#42/Soln.date: 2021-Apr-15)
  5. "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: comets and q < 1 (au) and period < 200 (years)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. "Horizons Batch for 2147-Mar-23 Earth Approach". JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.