C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy)
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Terry Lovejoy |
| Discovery date | 27 November 2011 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 2455900.5 (5 December 2011) |
| Aphelion | 92.4224 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.005490 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 46.2139 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.999881 |
| Orbital period | 314.17 a |
| Inclination | 134.785° |
| Last perihelion | 16 December 2011 |
| Next perihelion | ~2326 |
C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) is a periodic comet, classified as a Kreutz Sungrazer. It was discovered on 27 November 2011, by amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy.[1] The comet's perihelion took it through the Sun's corona on 16 December 2011 at 00:35 UTC, at a distance of approximately 510,000 miles (820,000 km).[2] It was not expected to survive the encounter, but the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), as well as other Sun-monitoring spacecraft, observed the comet emerge from the corona intact.[3][4]
The comet first became visible to the STEREO-A spacecraft on 3 December, and to the SOHO spacecraft on 14 December. Before the comet passed through perihelion, it was the subject of observation campaigns by eighteen instruments on five satellites: STEREO, SOHO, SDO, Hinode and PROBA2.[5][6]
See also
- C/2007 E2 (Lovejoy), another comet discovered by Lovejoy
References
- ^ Beatty, Kelly (6 December 2011). "Comet Lovejoy's Date With Destiny". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy)". JPL Small-Body Database Browser. NASA.gov. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ Wall, Mike (15 December 2011). "Satellites to Watch Comet's Death Plunge Through Sun Today". Space.com. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ Wall, Mike (15 December 2011). "Comet Lovejoy Survives Fiery Plunge Through Sun, NASA Says". Space.com. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "The Great "Birthday Comet" of 2011". SOHO. NASA.gov. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
External links
- C/2011 W3 at the JPL Small-Body Database Browser
- C/2011 W3 at the Minor Planet Center
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