C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch)
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spacewatch Terrence H. Bressi |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak Observatory |
| Discovery date | 21 May 2011 |
| Designations | |
| CK11K36P | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch | 22 June 2016 (JD 2457561.5) |
| Observation arc | 8.83 years |
| Number of observations | 3,711 |
| Aphelion | 71.939 AU |
| Perihelion | 4.883 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 38.411 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.87287 |
| Orbital period | 238.07 years |
| Inclination | 18.987° |
| 173.40° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 180.59° |
| Mean anomaly | 0.108° |
| Last perihelion | 26 May 2016 |
| Next perihelion | 5 June 2254 |
| TJupiter | 2.643 |
| Earth MOID | 3.879 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.079 AU |
| Physical characteristics[2] | |
Mean diameter | 55.1 km (34.2 mi)[3] |
| 0.101 | |
| (B–R) = 1.9±0.3[4] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 7.5 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 9.5 |
C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch) is a distant long-period comet that completes an orbit once every 238 years around the Sun. With a nucleus diameter of 55.1 km (34.2 mi),[3] it is one of the largest comets ever discovered.[2]
Observational history
[edit]It was initially thought to be an asteroid-like object with a very eccentric orbit at the time of its discovery on 21 May 2011.[1] A series of stacked images obtained from observations taken between April and May 2012 showed signs of diffuse cometary activity,[5] with a coma about 6 arcseconds in diameter and a faint tail about 9 arcseconds in length.[6][7]
Observations in July 2015 from the Leoncito Astronomical Complex (CASLEO) in Argentina showed that the comet had a dust mass-loss rate of about 282.86 kg/s (623.6 lb/s) in average.[8]
Orbit
[edit]Orbital calculations of the comet showed that it has a very eccentric orbit whose perihelion is around 4.88 AU (730 million km) from the Sun and an aphelion of 71.94 AU (10.762 billion km), almost twice that of Neptune.[4]
NASA / JPL considers this comet as part of the Jupiter-family of comets,[2] however this is highly unlikely as it takes roughly 238 years to complete one full orbit around the Sun. Some astronomers even consider this comet a scattered disc object,[9][10] however Dr. Yan R. Fernandez concluded that 2011 KP36 belongs to the “group of long-period comets that are nearly Halley-type” despite its Tisserand parameter being around 2.64.[4][11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 J. V. Scotti; T. H. Bressi; R. S. McMillan; et al. (14 June 2011). "2011 KP36". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 2011-L56. ISSN 1523-6714.
- 1 2 3 4 "C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- 1 2 J. K. Rigley; M. C. Wyatt (2022). "Comet fragmentation as a source of the zodiacal cloud" (PDF). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 510 (1): 834–857. doi:10.1093/mnras/stab3482.
- 1 2 3 O. Ivanova; V. Rosenbush; I. Luk’yanyk; L. Kolokolova; et al. (2021). "Observations of distant comet C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch): photometry, spectroscopy, and polarimetry" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics. 651 (29): 1–22. Bibcode:2021A&A...651A..29I. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039668.
- ↑ L. Buzzi (20 May 2012). "Discovery of cometary appearance of 2011 KP36". G. V. Schiaparelli Astronomical Observatory. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ T. H. Bressi; R. Holmes; T. Vorobjov; L. Buzzi; S. Foglia; et al. (17 May 2012). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch)". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams (3109). Bibcode:2012CBET.3109....1B.
- ↑ L. Buzzi; J. V. Scotti; A. C. Gilmore; et al. (17 May 2011). G. V. Williams (ed.). "C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch)". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 2012-K12. Bibcode:2012MPEC....K...12B. ISSN 1523-6714.
- ↑ R. S. Garcia; R. Gil-Hutton; E. Garcia-Milani (2020). "Observational results for five short-period and five long-period comets". Planetary & Space Science. 180 104779. Bibcode:2020P&SS..18004779G. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2019.104779.
- ↑ J. M. Bauer; T. Grav; E. Blauvelt; A. K. Mainzer; J. R. Masiero; et al. (2013). "Centaurs and Scattered Disk Objects in the Thermal Infrared: Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE Observations". The Astrophysical Journal. 773 (1): 1–11. arXiv:1306.1862. Bibcode:2013ApJ...773...22B. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/773/1/22.
- ↑ O. Ivanova; L. Kolokolova; I. Luk’yanyk; V. Kleshchonok; et al. (21 September – 9 October 2020). Scattering properties of dust in C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch). 14th Europlanet Science Congress. Bibcode:2020EPSC...14..346I. doi:10.5194/epsc2020-346. EPSC2020-346.
- ↑ Y. R. Fernandez. "Long-period comets that are nearly Halley-type". Retrieved 23 May 2025.
External links
[edit]- C/2011 KP36 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- C/2011 KP36 at Seiichi Yoshida's website
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