Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Rob D. Cardinal |
Discovery site | Rothney Astrophysical Observatory |
Discovery date | 1 October 2008 |
Orbital characteristics [2] | |
Epoch | 8 February 2009 (JD 2454870.5 |
Perihelion | 1.202 AU |
Eccentricity | 1.00011 |
Inclination | 56.304° |
309.68° | |
Argument of periapsis | 215.87° |
Last perihelion | 13 June 2009 |
TJupiter | 0.754 |
Earth MOID | 0.318 AU |
Jupiter MOID | 1.527 AU |
Physical characteristics | |
Comet total magnitude (M1) | 11.2 |
Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 13.2±0.8 |
8.5–9.0 (2009 apparition) |
C/2008 T2 (Cardinal), is a non-periodic comet. It was discovered by Rob. D. Cardinal from the University of Calgary. [1] [3] [4] It was visible as a telescopic and binocular object during 2009. [4] [5] It passed near the Perseus star clusters NGC 1528 on March 15 and NGC 1545 on March 17, 2009. [6] It also passed near the Auriga star clusters M38 on April 14, M36 on April 17, and M37 in on April 21, 2009, and passed near Comet Lulin on May 12, 2009, for observers on Earth. [4] [5] [7] It peaked in brightness in June–July 2009 at 8.5-9m. [4] [6]