Comet McNaught–Russell, formally designated as C/1993 Y1, is a long-period comet that reached a maximum magnitude of 6.5 (just below naked eye level) in early 1994. It was discovered by Robert H. McNaught and Kenneth S. Russell using the U.K. Schmidt Telescope in Australia. McNaught and Russell worked at Siding Spring Observatory and together discovered five comets between 1991 and 1995.
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert H. McNaught Kenneth S. Russell |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Observatory |
| Discovery date | 17 December 1993 |
| Designations | |
| C/1993 Y1 C/574 G1 | |
| 1994 XI 1993v | |
| Orbital characteristics[2][3] | |
| Epoch | 28 April 1994 (JD 2449470.5) |
| Observation arc | 265 days |
| Number of observations | 377 |
| Aphelion | 270 AU (inbound) 240 AU (outbound) |
| Perihelion | 0.8676 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.9932 |
| Orbital period | 1,600 years (inbound) 1,300 years (outbound) 1,430 ± 30 a |
| Inclination | 51.586° |
| 166.359° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 353.468° |
| Last perihelion | 31 March 1994 |
| Next perihelion | ~3300 |
| TJupiter | 0.755 |
| Earth MOID | 0.1212 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.6212 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 12.3 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 16.9 |
| 6.5 (1994 apparition) | |
Orbit
editIts orbital period was found to be very high – initially estimated at over 1400 years.
Historical records
edit| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery site | China |
| Discovery date | 4 April 574 |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch | 25 March 574 (JD 1930794.5) |
| Observation arc | 49 days |
| Number of observations | 3 |
| Perihelion | 0.730 AU |
| Orbital period | 1,430 ± 30 years |
| Inclination | 54° |
| 155° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 342° |
| Last perihelion | 25 March 574 31 March 1994 |
| Next perihelion | ~3300 |
It was noted by Francois Colas (Paris observatory)[5] and Ichiro Hasegawa[6] that the path of McNaught–Russell coincided with that of comet C/574 G1, which was recorded in AD 574 over a period from April 4 to May 23 by observers in China. This would give the comet a period of 1430 ± 30 years and so making it the longest period comet to be seen on two separate returns. Since the comet was not observed to approach any planets, its orbit should remain largely unchanged on its next return. This would place its next approach to the inner Solar System around 3300.
References
edit- ^ D. W. Green (18 December 1993). "COMET McNAUGHT-RUSSELL (1993v)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 5910.
- ^ "C/1993 Y1 (McNaught–Russell) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for Comet McNaught–Russell (C/1993 Y1)". Retrieved 25 August 2023. (Solution using the Solar System's barycenter (Sun+Jupiter). Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
- ^ "C/574 G1 – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ Guinness Book of Astronomy. London: Guinness Publishing. 1995.
- ^ D. W. Green (2 March 1994). "COMET McNAUGHT-RUSSELL (1993v)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 5943.