C/2004 Q1 (Tucker)
Discovery[1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Roy A. Tucker |
Discovery site | Tucson, Arizona |
Discovery date | 23 August 2004 |
Designations | |
CK04Q010[2] | |
Orbital characteristics[3] | |
Epoch | 11 December 2004 (JD 2453350.5) |
Observation arc | 615 days (1.68 years) |
Earliest precovery date | 22 August 2004 |
Number of observations | 1,972 |
Aphelion | 371.4 AU |
Perihelion | 2.047 AU |
Semi-major axis | 186.739 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.98904 |
Orbital period | 2,552 years |
Inclination | 56.09° |
22.13° | |
Argument of periapsis | 32.97° |
Last perihelion | 6 December 2004 |
TJupiter | 1.015 |
Earth MOID | 1.146 AU |
Jupiter MOID | 2.582 AU |
Physical characteristics | |
Comet total magnitude (M1) | 9.6 |
Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 11.8 |
10.5 (2004 apparition) |
Comet Tucker, formally designated as C/2004 Q1, is a faint non-periodic comet that had a very distant perihelion on 11 December 2004. It was the second of two comets discovered by famed amateur astronomer, Roy A. Tucker.
Discovery and observations
Roy A. Tucker discovered the comet as a diffuse magnitude 14.6 object in the constellation Cetus on 23 August 2004,[a] using a 0.35 m (14 in) reflector telescope.[4] Images on 25 August show a 30" coma and a tail measuring 70" in length.[1] It steadily brightened in the following months until it reached perihelion on December 2004, although it did not get any closer to the inner Solar System, resulting in a peak magnitude of 10.5.[5]
Orbital calculations by Brian G. Marsden revealed that C/2004 Q1 might not be a "new" comet from the Oort cloud, noting its trajectory as dynamically old.[6] It was last observed on 4 May 2005.[5]
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c D. W. Green (25 August 2004). "Comet C/2004 Q1 (Tucker)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 8393. ISSN 0081-0304.
- ^ B. G. Marsden (25 August 2004). "MPEC 2004-Q43: Comet C/2004 Q1 (Tucker)". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "C/2004 Q1 (Tucker) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ S. Yoshida (11 August 2020). "C/2004 Q1 ( Tucker )". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ a b J. Shanklin (20 November 2019). "BAA Comet Section: New Comets Discovered in 2004". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ B. G. Marsden (23 October 2004). "MPEC 2004-U30: Comet C/2004 Q1 (Tucker)". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
External Links
- C/2004 Q1 at the JPL Small-Body Database