94P/Russell 4 is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It fits the definition of an Encke-type comet with (TJupiter > 3; a < aJupiter).[1] It was discovered by Ken Rusell[1] on photographic plates taken by M. Hawkins on March 7, 1984.[5] In the discovery images, Russell estimated that the comet had an apparent magnitude of 13 and a noticeable tail of 5 arc minutes.[5] In the year of discovery, the comet had come to perihelion in January 1984.[3]
 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. S. Russel[1] |
| Discovery date | March 7, 1984 |
| Designations | |
| 1984 I;1990 XI | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | October 1, 2009 |
| Aphelion | 4.793 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 2.240 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis | 3.517 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity | 0.3630 |
| Orbital period | 6.60 yr |
| Inclination | 6.182° |
| Last perihelion | 2023-May-21[2] October 27, 2016[2] March 29, 2010[1][3] August 29, 2003[3] |
| Next perihelion | 2029-Dec-17[4] |
With an aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun) of 4.7 AU,[1] comet 94P currently has an orbit contained completely inside of the orbit of Jupiter.
In July 1995, 94P was estimated to have a radius of about 2.6 km with an absolute magnitude (H) of 15.1.[6] It may have a very elongated nucleus with an axial ratio of a/b >= 3.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 94P/Russell 4" (last observation: 2009-12-25). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
- ^ a b "94P/Russell Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
- ^ a b c Seiichi Yoshida (2008-10-25). "94P/Russell 4". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
- ^ "Horizons Batch for 94P/Russell 4 (90000915) on 2029-Dec-17" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-04-29. (JPL#74/Soln.date: 2023-Jul-05)
- ^ a b Kronk, Gary W. "94P/Russell 4". Retrieved 2010-02-19. (Cometography Home Page)
- ^ a b Snodgrass, Colin; Lowry, Stephen C.; Fitzsimmons, Alan (2007). "Optical observations of 23 distant Jupiter Family Comets, including 36P/Whipple at multiple phase angles". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 385 (2): 737–756. arXiv:0712.4204. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.385..737S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.12900.x. S2CID 55536237.
External links
edit- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
- Elements and Ephemeris for 94P/Russell – Minor Planet Center
- 94P/Russell at the Minor Planet Center's Database
- 94P at Kazuo Kinoshita's Comets
- Images of 94P/Russell 4 from the 2010 passage