449P/Leonard
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Gregory J. Leonard |
| Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs |
| Discovery date | 29 September 2020 |
| Designations | |
| X/1987 A2 P/2013 Y3 P/2020 S6 | |
| PK20S060[1] PJ87A020[2] PK13Y030 KM1987-1[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch | 20 October 2020 (JD 2459142.5) |
| Observation arc | 12,458 days (34.11 years) |
| Earliest precovery date | 5 January 1987 |
| Number of observations | 294 |
| Aphelion | 5.322 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.875 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.598 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.47899 |
| Orbital period | 6.82 years |
| Inclination | 15.459° |
| 242.571° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 176.652° |
| Last perihelion | 23 November 2020 |
| Next perihelion | 25 September 2027 |
| TJupiter | 2.853 |
| Earth MOID | 0.8872 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.0613 AU |
| Physical characteristics[5] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 8.6 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 17.7 |
| 17.5 (1987 apparition) | |
449P/Leonard is a periodic comet that orbits the Sun once every 6.83 years.[6] Studies in 2022 show that 449P was a rediscovery of a previously lost comet that was spotted in 1987.[2]
Discovery and observations
[edit]On 29 September 2020, Gregory J. Leonard discovered a new comet about 21.5 in apparent magnitude from images taken from the 1.5 m (59 in) telescope of the Mount Lemmon Observatory.[1] Orbital calculations showed it had reached its most recent perihelion on 23 November 2020, and it has frequent close passes with Jupiter, where the comet had passed about 0.064 AU (9.6 million km) from the giant planet in 1983,[4] reducing its orbital period from 13.2 years to just 6.82 years.[3]
In 2022, Maik Meyer linked the 449P with the previously lost comet, X/1987 A2, which was discovered by Robert H. McNaught and Malcolm Hartley from the Siding Spring Observatory on 5 January 1987.[3] This precovery image of the comet was not found until March 1987,[7] hence precise follow-up observations were not possible at the time.[6] Subsequently, scientists have also identified P/2013 Y6 as another previous apparition of the comet, which was observed from the Mauna Kea Observatory between 2013 and 2014.[2]
The comet will next return to the inner Solar System on 25 September 2027.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "MPEC 2020-U151: Comet P/2020 S6 (Leonard)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "MPEC 2022-T74: Comet P/2020 S6 = P/1987 A2 = P/2013 Y3 (Leonard)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c G. W. Kronk; M. Meyer (2024). Catalog of Unconfirmed Comets. Vol. 2: 1900–Present. Springer Nature. pp. 353–354. ISBN 978-3-031-56691-2. ISSN 2509-3118.
- ^ a b "449P/Leonard – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b S. Yoshida. "449P/Leonard". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b J. Shanklin. "BAA Comet Section: Periodic Comets 400–499". University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ D. W. Green (31 March 1987). "Possible Comets". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4355.
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