96P sungrazer family
The 96P sungrazer family is a small group of sungrazing comets, originating from Comet 96P/Machholz. It is only observed by NASA/ESA SOHO (SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory) probe. It contains three subgroups: Marsden, Kracht and Kracht II.
96P type is the rarest among all objects recorded by SOHO: just 3% of all belong to this group.[1]
The 5000th comet observed by this probe belongs to the Marsden group, and was discovered on 25 March 2024.[2]
| Subgroup | Marsden | Kracht | Kracht II | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 2.9% |
Source and discovery
[edit]It is suggested that this group comes from fragments detached from the Macholz comet about 800 to 1,200 years ago. The orbit is very similar to the parent body with slightly different gravitational contacts with Jupiter and lower perihelion distance as well as inclination.[1]
The Marsden subgroup was discovered by British astronomer Brian G. Marsden in the early 2000s.[4] Kracht I and II were discovered by Rainer Kracht in 2002 after analysing orbits and finding similarities between a pair of comets.[5][6]
Characteristics and frequency
[edit]These objects show up at intervals averaging around 6 years: their approximate orbital period. They are often observed in clusters of two or more objects, showing up within few days after each other. Peak brightness typically occurs a few hours after perihelion, and the apparent magnitude typically ranges from 7 to 8 magnitude, although the brightest ones can reach apparent magnitude 5.[1]
During passage near the Sun, fragmentation takes place, creating smaller objects. The 96P complex will likely become extinct in the near future.[1]
The size range is not well known; they are probably larger than Kreutz group comets, which are usually a few tens of meters wide.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Battams, Karl; Knight, Matthew M. (2017-07-13). "SOHO comets: 20 years and 3000 objects later". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 375 (2097): 20160257. arXiv:1611.02279. Bibcode:2017RSPTA.37560257B. doi:10.1098/rsta.2016.0257. ISSN 1364-503X. PMC 5454226. PMID 28554977.
- ^ "ESA, NASA Solar Observatory Discovers Its 5,000th Comet - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
- ^ "C2/C3 Comet Tracks | Sungrazer".
- ^ "The Marsden group". www.comethunter.de. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ "The discovery of the second Kracht groupSOHO'". rkracht.de. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ "My archival search and the discovery of the Kracht group". rkracht.de. Retrieved 2024-11-18.