C/2014 OG392 (PANSTARRS)
C/2014 OG392 is a comet discovered as a centaur on 28 July 2014 when it was 11.5 AU (1.72 billion km) from the Sun and had an apparent magnitude of 21.[3] The comet was relatively easier to detect at this distance because the nucleus is estimated to be 20 km in diameter.[1]
Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Pan-STARRS |
Discovery date | 28 July 2014 |
Orbital characteristics A | |
Epoch | 2020-12-17 (2459200.5) |
Observation arc | 9.3 years |
Orbit type | Centaur / Chiron-type |
Aphelion | 14.463 AU |
Perihelion | 9.9697 AU (near Saturn's distance) |
Semi-major axis | 12.216 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.18389 |
Orbital period | 42.7 yr |
Inclination | 9.0333° |
TJupiter | 3.4 |
Earth MOID | 8.99 AU (1.345 billion km) |
Jupiter MOID | 5.08 AU (760 million km) |
Dimensions | 20 km (albedo=0.1)[1] Absolute magnitude: H=10.8 (MPC) H=11.3 (corrected)[1] |
Last perihelion | 29 July 1979[2] |
Next perihelion | 29 November 2021[2] |
DECam archival images from 2017 when the comet was 10.6 AU (1.59 billion km) from the Sun showed cometary activity likely produced by carbon dioxide (CO2) and/or ammonia (NH3) sublimation.[1]
Clones of the orbit of C/2014 OG392 estimate a dynamic lifetime of 13 thousand to a million years.[1] Perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) is located at roughly the same distance as Saturn's orbit with a Saturn minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.9 AU (130 million km).[4] For example on 29 September 2231 the comet will pass about 0.934 AU (139.7 million km) ±1 million km from Saturn.[5]
C/2014 OG392 will come to opposition on 1 November 2021 in the constellation of Cetus when it will have a solar elongation of 170 degrees. Numerical integration shows the comet last came to perihelion in late July 1979 and will next come to perihelion on 29 November 2021.[2]
References
- Chandler, Colin; Kueny, Jay; Trujillo, Chad; Trilling, David; Oldroyd, William (2020). "Cometary Activity Discovered on a Distant Centaur: A Nonaqueous Sublimation Mechanism". The Astrophysical Journal. 892 (2).
- JPL Horizons Observer Location: @sun (Perihelion occurs when deldot changes from negative to positive.)
- "MPEC 2020-U241 : COMET C/2014 OG392 (PANSTARRS)". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2021-01-15. (CK14Od2G)
- "2014 OG392 (PANSTARRS)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- JPL Horizons Observer Location: @699 Table Settings: 20,39 (Uncertainty is 3-sigma.)
External links
- C/2014 OG392 ( PanSTARRS ) – Seiichi Yoshida