C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)

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C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)
M81-82 and C2017T2.jpg
C/2017 T2 (right) passing near Messier 81 and Messier 82 on May 22, 2020
Discovery
Discovered byPan-STARRS
Discovery date2 October 2017
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch2458756.5 (30 Sept 2019)
Observation arc2.68 yr
Orbit typeOort cloud
Aphelion~74000 AU (inbound)[1]
~3000 AU (outbound)
Perihelion1.6150 AU
Eccentricity0.99971
Orbital period~7 million years (inbound)[1]
~55000 years (outbound)
Inclination57.232°
Earth MOID1.2 AU (180 million km; 470 LD)
Jupiter MOID0.99 AU (148 million km; 390 LD)
Last perihelion4 May 2020[2]

C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) is an Oort cloud comet discovered on 2 October 2017 when it was 9.2 AU (1.38 billion km) from the Sun. The closest approach to Earth was on 28 December 2019 at a distance of 1.52 AU (227 million km). It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 4 May 2020[2] when it was safe from disintegration at 1.6 AU from the Sun. (Mars is also roughly 1.6 AU from the Sun.)

Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) has brightened to apparent magnitude 8 and is visible with 50mm binoculars.[3][4] In early June 2020 the comet was near the magnitude 1.8 star Dubhe in Ursa Major.

JPL Horizons using an epoch 1950 orbit solution models that C/2017 T2 took millions of years to come from the Oort cloud at a distance of roughly 74,000 AU (1.2 ly).[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)". Solution using the Solar System Barycenter. Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0 (To be outside planetary region, inbound epoch 1950 and outbound epoch 2050. For epoch 1950-Jan-01 orbit period is "PR= 2.6E+09 / 365.25 days" = ~7.1 million years)
  2. ^ a b "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Comet Observation database (COBS)". Retrieved 27 May 2020. "C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) plot"
  4. ^ Seiichi Yoshida. "C/2017 T2 ( PanSTARRS )". Retrieved 27 May 2020.


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