260P/McNaught
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 Comet McNaught 4 photographed from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 3 October 2019 | |
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert H. McNaught |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Observatory |
| Discovery date | 20 May 2005 |
| Designations | |
| P/2005 K3, P/2012 K2 | |
| McNaught 4 | |
| Orbital characteristics[3][4] | |
| Epoch | 9 August 2022 (JD 2459800.5) |
| Observation arc | 14.81 years |
| Number of observations | 6,792 |
| Aphelion | 5.831 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.415 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.623 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.60935 |
| Orbital period | 6.897 years |
| Inclination | 15.058° |
| 349.34° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 18.432° |
| Mean anomaly | 151.97° |
| Last perihelion | 10 September 2019 |
| Next perihelion | 5 August 2026[5] |
| TJupiter | 2.717 |
| Earth MOID | 0.495 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.024 AU |
| Physical characteristics[6][7] | |
Mean radius | 1.54±0.09 km |
| 8.16±0.24 hours | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 12.7 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 15.4 |
Comet McNaught 4, also known as 260P/McNaught, is a periodic comet with a 6.9-year orbit around the Sun. It is one of several comets discovered by Australian astronomer, Robert H. McNaught.
On 20 May 2005, Robert H. McNaught found his fourth periodic comet (P/2005 K3) from the 0.5 m (1.6 ft) telescope of the Siding Spring Observatory,[1] where he reported it has a slightly diffuse head with a narrow tail about 30 arcseconds in length.[2]
It was later rediscovered in 15–18 May 2012 from the Pierre Auger Observatory as P/2012 K2,[8] which was later confirmed to be a recovery of comet McNaught 4 a few days later.[9]
During its 2019 apparition, a small outburst had temporarily brightened the comet from magnitude 13.78 to 13.59.[10]
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