94P/Russell
 Comet Russell 4 imaged by Kevin Heider on 19 February 2010 while it was 2.2 AU from the Sun. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Kenneth S. Russell |
| Discovery date | 7 March 1984 |
| Designations | |
| 1984 I;1990 XI | |
| Orbital characteristics[2][3] | |
| Epoch | October 1, 2009 |
| Aphelion | 4.793 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 2.240 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis | 3.517 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity | 0.3630 |
| Orbital period | 6.60 yr |
| Inclination | 6.182° |
| Last perihelion | 21 May 2023 |
| Next perihelion | 17 December 2029[1] |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 2.6 km (1.6 mi)[4] |
| 20.7 hours[5] | |
| 0.043±0.007 | |
| (V–R) = 0.62±0.05[6] | |
94P/Russell 4 is a periodic comet in the Solar System.
Observational history
[edit]It was discovered by Kenneth S. Russell on photographic plates taken by M. Hawkins on March 7, 1984.[7] In the discovery images, Russell estimated that the comet had an apparent magnitude of 13 and a noticeable tail of 5 arcminutes.[7] In the year of discovery, the comet had come to perihelion in January 1984.[8]
Orbit
[edit]With an aphelion of 4.7 AU (700 million km),[2] comet 94P currently has an orbit contained completely inside of the orbit of Jupiter. It fits the definition of an Encke-type comet with (TJupiter > 3; a < aJupiter).[2]
Physical characteristics
[edit]In July 1995, 94P was estimated to have a radius of about 2.6 km (1.6 mi) with an absolute magnitude (H) of 15.1.[4] It may have a very elongated nucleus with an axial ratio of a/b ≥ 3.[4] It is determined that it has a rotation period of 20.7 hours.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Horizons Batch for 94P/Russell 4 (90000915) on 2029-Dec-17" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 29 April 2023. (JPL#74/Soln.date: 2023-Jul-05)
- ^ a b c "94P/Russell 4 – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "94P/Russell Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ a b c C. Snodgrass; S. C. Lowry; A. Fitzsimmons (2007). "Optical observations of 23 distant Jupiter Family Comets, including 36P/Whipple at multiple phase angles". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 385 (2): 737–756. arXiv:0712.4204. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.385..737S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.12900.x. S2CID 55536237.
- ^ a b B. E. A. Mueller; N. H. Samarasinha (2018). "Further Investigation of Changes in Cometary Rotation". The Astronomical Journal. 156 (3): 107–114. arXiv:1806.11158. Bibcode:2018AJ....156..107M. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aad0a1.
- ^ M. M. Knight; R. Kokotanekova; N. H. Samarasinha (2023). "Physical and Surface Properties of Comet Nuclei from Remote Observations". arXiv:2304.09309 [astro-ph.EP].
- ^ a b Kronk, Gary W. "94P/Russell 4". Retrieved 19 February 2010. (Cometography Home Page)
- ^ Seiichi Yoshida (25 October 2008). "94P/Russell 4". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
External links
[edit]- 94P/Russell at the JPL Small-Body Database
- Elements and Ephemeris for 94P/Russell – Minor Planet Center
- 94P/Russell at the Minor Planet Center's Database
- 94P at Kazuo Kinoshita's Comets
- Images of 94P/Russell 4 from the 2010 passage
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