P/2003 T12 (SOHO)

P/2003 T₁₂ (SOHO)

Discovery
Discovered by	SOHO
Discovery date	10 October 2003
Designations
MPC designation	P/2003 T12 P/2012 A3
Alternative designations	SOHO-643 [1] STEREO-42
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch	25 May 2012 (JD 2456072.5)
Observation arc	4,592 days (12.57 years)
Number of observations	491
Aphelion	4.5612 AU
Perihelion	0.5748 AU
Semi-major axis	2.568 AU
Eccentricity	0.77617
Orbital period	4.1153 years
Inclination	11.4752°
Longitude of ascending node	176.466°
Argument of periapsis	217.669°
Last perihelion	3 July 2024 [3]
Next perihelion	2028
TJupiter	2.894
Earth MOID	0.1547 AU
Jupiter MOID	1.0191 AU
Physical characteristics [4]
Mean radius	<0.26 km (0.16 mi)
Comet total magnitude (M1)	19.6
Apparent magnitude	8.5 (2012 apparition)

P/2003 T₁₂ is a periodic comet that revolves around the Sun once every 4.11 years. ^[2] On January 13, 2012, it was observed by the satellite STEREO-B, and the most documented phase of P/2003 T₁₂ was observed on that date. It is theorized to be a possible fragment of comet 169P/NEAT. ^[5]

January 12, 2012 event

During its apparition on January 12, 2012, it ventured into the highest phase angle ever observed for a comet, and the forward-scattering enhancement in brightness was marked, as large as ~8.5 mag. This has given insight into Henyey-Greenstein (HG) space-dust. ^[6]

References

1. "Periodic Comets identified by SOHO". The Sungrazer Project. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
2. "P/2003 T₁₂ (SOHO) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 19 March 2024.
3. S. Yoshida. "P/2003 T₁₂ = P/2012 A3 (SOHO)". aerith.net. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
4. 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. S. R. Alvarez; A. S. Oyarzabal (2024). "Comet P/2003 T₁₂ (SOHO): A possible fragment of comet 169P/NEAT?". Planetary and Space Science. 246. Bibcode:2024P&SS..24605902A. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2024.105902.
6. M. T. Hui (2013). "Observations of Comet P/2003 T₁₂ = 2012 A3 (SOHO) at large phase angle in STEREO-B". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 436 (2): 1564–1575. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.436.1564H. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stt1683 . ISSN   0035-8711.

External links

• P/2003 T₁₂ at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach  · Discovery  · Ephemeris  · Orbit viewer  · Orbit parameters  · Physical parameters