71P/Clark
Jupiter-family comet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
71P/Clark is a periodic comet in the Solar System with an orbital period of 5.5 years.
- 1973 V, 1978 XXIII
- 1984 VIII, 1989 XX
- 1973i, 1978g, 1983w
- 1989h, 1994t
Infrared image of Comet Clark taken by NEOWISE on 9 September 2017 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Michael Clark |
| Discovery date | 9 June 1973 |
| Designations | |
| P/1973 L1, P/1978 G1 | |
| |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
| Aphelion | 4.685 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.562 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.124 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.4999 |
| Orbital period | 5.521 a |
| Inclination | 9.4883° |
| Last perihelion | 21 January 2023[1] |
| Next perihelion | 28 September 2028[2] |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 0.83 km (0.52 mi)[3] |
| 0.035 (assumed) | |
| (V–R) = 0.64±0.07[4] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 11.1 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 14.6 |
It was discovered by Michael Clark at Mount John University Observatory, New Zealand on 9 June 1973 with a brightness of apparent magnitude 13. Subsequently it has been observed in 1978, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2011[5] and 2017.[6]
Physical characteristics
The nucleus of the comet has a radius of 0.68 ± 0.04 km (0.423 ± 0.025 mi), assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04, based on observations by Hubble Space Telescope,[4] while observations by Keck indicate a radius of 1.305 km (0.811 mi).[7] Another study in 2006 places the nuclear radius around 0.83 km (0.52 mi) assuming that it has a geometric albedo of 0.035±0.012.[3]
