172P/Yeung
Jupiter-family comet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
172P/Yeung is a Jupiter-family comet with a 6.59-year orbit around the Sun. It is the first of two comets discovered by Hong Kong/Canadian astronomer, William Kwong Yu Yeung.[a]
P/2002 BV
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Bill Yeung |
| Discovery site | Apache Point Observatory |
| Discovery date | 21 January 2002 |
| Designations | |
| P/2001 CB40 P/2002 BV | |
| PK02B00V[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3][4] | |
| Epoch | 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) |
| Observation arc | 31.62 years |
| Earliest precovery date | 20 October 1993 |
| Number of observations | 797 |
| Aphelion | 5.091 AU |
| Perihelion | 3.358 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 4.225 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.20507 |
| Orbital period | 8.683 years |
| Inclination | 11.222° |
| 30.881° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 208.87° |
| Mean anomaly | 2.114° |
| Last perihelion | 2 November 2025 |
| Next perihelion | 19 July 2034[5] |
| TJupiter | 2.958 |
| Earth MOID | 2.232 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.082 AU |
| Physical characteristics[3] | |
Mean radius | 5.6 km (3.5 mi)[6] |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 14.8 |
Observational history
It was initially thought as an apparently asteroid-like object from CCD images taken by Bill Yeung from the Apache Point Observatory on the night of 21 January 2002.[7] Additional reports from the Minor Planet Center later identified that this comet is the same object as 2001 CB40,[1] with precovery images dating as early as 20 October 1993.[4] This relatively long observation arc for a newly discovered comet allowed it to receive a permanent numerical designation from the MPC as 172P.[8]
Physical characteristics
Infrared observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope between 2006 and 2007 revealed that the nucleus of 172P/Yeung is about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) in radius.[6]
Notes
- Bill Yeung later co-discovered C/2015 VL62 (LemmonâYeungâPanSTARRS) in 2015
