C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) is a retrograde Oort cloud comet discovered at magnitude 19.7, 8.7 AU from the Sun on 17 May 2012 using the Pan-STARRS telescope located near the summit of Haleakalā, on the island of Maui in Hawaii (U.S.).[1]
NEOWISE series of infrared images of C/2012 K1 on 20 May 2014 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS 1.8-m Ritchey–Chrétien (F51)[1] |
| Discovery date | 17 May 2012 |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch | 11 August 2014[2] |
| Orbit type | Oort cloud |
| Aphelion | ~52000 AU (inbound)[3] ~14000 AU (outbound) |
| Perihelion | 1.0545 AU (q)[2] |
| Eccentricity | 1.00021[2] |
| Orbital period | several million years inbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 1950)[3] ~600000 yr outbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 2050)[3] |
| Inclination | 142.43°[2] |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.5 AU |
| Last perihelion | 27 August 2014[2] |
The comet started 2014 as a Northern Hemisphere object. By late April 2014 it had brightened to roughly apparent magnitude ~8.8[4] making it a small telescope/binoculars target for experienced observers. In June and July 2014 the comet was near the Sickle of Leo.[5] As of 3 July 2014 the comet had brightened to magnitude 7.9.[6]
From 12 July 2014 until 6 September 2014 it had an elongation less than 30 degrees from the Sun.[4] The comet came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 27 August 2014 at a distance of 1.05 AU (157,000,000 km; 98,000,000 mi) from the Sun.[2] It crosses the celestial equator on 15 September 2014 becoming a Southern Hemisphere object.[4]
The comet peaked around magnitude 6.9 in mid-October 2014[7][8] when it had an elongation of around 75 degrees from the Sun.[4] It is visible in binoculars and small telescopes.
2013 in space | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Space probe launches |
| |||||
| Impact events | ||||||
| Selected NEOs | ||||||
| Exoplanets |
| |||||
| Discoveries |
| |||||
| Novae | ||||||
| Comets |
| |||||
| Space exploration |
| |||||
| ||||||
2014 in space | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Space probe launches |
| |
| Impact events |
| |
| Selected NEOs | ||
| Exoplanets |
| |
| Discoveries |
| |
| Novae | ||
| Comets | ||
| Space exploration |
| |
| ||
This comet-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |