94P/Russell
Periodic comet with 6 year orbit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
94P/Russell 4 is a periodic comet in the Solar System.
Comet Russell 4 imaged by Kevin Heider on 19 February 2010 while it was 2.2 AU from the Sun. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Kenneth S. Russell |
| Discovery date | 7 March 1984 |
| Designations | |
| 1984 I;1990 XI | |
| Orbital characteristics[1][2] | |
| Epoch | October 1, 2009 |
| Aphelion | 4.793 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 2.240 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis | 3.517 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity | 0.3630 |
| Orbital period | 6.60 yr |
| Inclination | 6.182° |
| Last perihelion | 21 May 2023 |
| Next perihelion | 17 December 2029[3] |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 2.6 km (1.6 mi)[4] |
| 20.7 hours[5] | |
| 0.043±0.007 | |
| (V–R) = 0.62±0.05[6] | |
Observational history
It was discovered by Kenneth S. Russell on photographic plates taken by M. Hawkins on March 7, 1984.[7] In the discovery images, Russell estimated that the comet had an apparent magnitude of 13 and a noticeable tail of 5 arcminutes.[7] In the year of discovery, the comet had come to perihelion in January 1984.[8]
Orbit
Physical characteristics
In July 1995, 94P was estimated to have a radius of about 2.6 km (1.6 mi) with an absolute magnitude (H) of 15.1.[4] It may have a very elongated nucleus with an axial ratio of a/b ≥ 3.[4] It is determined that it has a rotation period of 20.7 hours.[5]