120P/Mueller
Periodic comet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
120P/Mueller, also known as Mueller 1, is a Jupiter-family comet with an 8.4-year orbit around the Sun. It is one of 15 comets discovered by American astronomer, Jean Mueller.
P/1995 O2
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Jean E. Mueller |
| Discovery site | Palomar Observatory |
| Discovery date | 18 October 1987 |
| Designations | |
| P/1987 U2 P/1995 O2 | |
| Mueller 1 1987 XXXI, 1987a1 | |
| Orbital characteristics[2][3] | |
| Epoch | 6 September 2007 (JD 2454349.5) |
| Observation arc | 34.14 years |
| Number of observations | 147 |
| Aphelion | 5.527 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.744 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 4.136 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.33654 |
| Orbital period | 8.412 years |
| Inclination | 8.791° |
| 4.443° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 30.008° |
| Mean anomaly | 125.57° |
| Last perihelion | 7 May 2021 |
| Next perihelion | 5 April 2029[4] |
| TJupiter | 2.917 |
| Earth MOID | 1.754 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.265 AU |
| Physical characteristics[2] | |
Mean radius | 0.77 km (0.48 mi)[5] |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 6.6 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 16.4 |
Observational history
Jean Mueller first spotted the comet on photographic plates exposed from the Palomar Observatory on the night of 18 October 1987.[1] She described the new comet as a diffuse 17th-magnitude object within the constellation Pisces.[a] A condensation and an apparent tail about 20–30 arcseconds in length towards the south-southwest was also noted.[6] Orbital calculations using follow-up observations until 27 October 1987 helped Daniel W. E. Green to determine Mueller's comet as periodic, at the time having an orbital period of roughly 8.21 years.[7]
James V. Scotti recovered the comet from the Kitt Peak Observatory on 30 July 1995 as P/1995 O1.[8] It was a 22nd-magnitude object at the time of its recovery.[8] The comet was observed from every subsequent apparition since. It most recently came to perihelion in May 2021[3] and underwent a 1.4 magnitude outburst in August 2021.[9]