C/1911 S3 (Beljawsky)
Hyperbolic comet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comet Beljawsky, formally designated as C/1911 S3, is a comet discovered by the Russian astronomer Sergei Ivanovich Beljawsky on 29 September 1911 and shortly thereafter, it was seen independently by four or five other observers in the United States and probably by others throughout the world.[4]
Comet Beljawsky photographed by Heber D. Curtis in 19 October 1911 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Sergei I. Beljawsky |
| Discovery date | 29 September 1911 |
| Designations | |
| 1911 IV, 1911g | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch | 11 October 1911 (JD 2419320.5) |
| Observation arc | 140 days |
| Number of observations | 66 |
| Perihelion | 0.3034 AU |
| Semi-major axis | â2064.109 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.000147 |
| Inclination | 96.466° |
| 89.897° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 71.711° |
| Last perihelion | 10 October 1911 |
| Physical characteristics[2] | |
Mean radius | 1.40 km (0.87 mi)[a] |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 5.8 |
| 1.0 (1911 apparition)[3] | |
Observational history
At the time it was discovered, the comet was near to the Sun which made observations difficult. However, several days after discovery it was a naked-eye object for a few days in the morning sky and later, after perihelion, as an evening object. It faded rapidly, becoming visible only in telescopes and was last seen on 17 February 1912.[1][5][6] The comet sported a tail 8 to 10 degrees in length.[4] In mid-October, the comet was visible in the evening sky together with another bright comet, C/1911 O1 (Brooks).[3]
Comet Beljawsky is a non-periodic comet noteworthy for having a hyperbolic trajectory and so it is not expected to return to the inner Solar System.[1]
