C/2011 N3 (SOHO)
Kreutz sungrazer comet
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C/2011 N3 (SOHO), also known as SOHO-2107, was a Kreutz sungrazer comet that disintegrated during perihelion on 6 July 2011.[7] In January 2012, it was revealed that the comet was also observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light,[8][a] providing rare insights to its actual chemical composition, mass, and nucleus size.[5]
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | SOHO Masanori Uchina |
| Discovery date | 4 July 2011 |
| Designations | |
| SOHO-2107 | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch | 5 July 2011 (JD 2455747.5) |
| Observation arc | 2 days |
| Number of observations | 114 |
| Orbit type | Kreutz sungrazer |
| Perihelion | 0.0053 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.00027 |
| Max. orbital speed | ~650 km/s[4] |
| Inclination | 144.44° |
| 6.431° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 85.046° |
| Mean anomaly | –0.011° |
| Last perihelion | 6 July 2011 |
| Earth MOID | 0.555 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.991 AU |
| Physical characteristics[5] | |
Mean radius | 0.005–0.025 km (0.0031–0.0155 mi) |
| Mass | ~5.9 million tons[6] |
| ~1.0 (2011 apparition) | |
See also
Notes
- C/2011 N3 is the first comet of the Kreutz sungrazer family to be observed in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.[6]