C / 2011 W3 (Lovejoy)

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C / 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) [i]
Iss030e015472 Edit.jpg
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Orbit type elliptical
Numerical eccentricity 0.9999
Perihelion 0.0055 AU
Aphelion JD 2455900.5: approx. 150 AU
Major semi-axis JD 2455900.5: approx. 70 AU
Sidereal period JD 2455900.5: approx. 600 a
Inclination of the orbit plane approx. 134 °
Perihelion December 16, 2011
history
Explorer Terry Lovejoy
Date of discovery November 27, 2011
Older name -
Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . Please also note the note on comet articles .
Lovejoy observed by the STEREO-A space probe, the interaction of the solar wind with the tail can be seen.

C / 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) is a periodic comet discovered by Terry Lovejoy in Australia in late November 2011 . The crew of the International Space Station could also watch and film it. The comet belongs to the Kreutz group . Astronomers suspected that this comet would be so bright around December 16, 2011, i.e. its perihelion passage, that it could even have been observed with bare eyes. It was believed that there was a high probability that it would break. However, the comet survived the approach of 140,000 km to the sun and could be observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) as it exited the solar corona . It is believed by researchers that the comet was held together by the recoil force generated during its strong activity and did not break apart even though it fell below the Roche limit .

Also, SOHO , STEREO and Proba-2 observed the comet.

Originally, the diameter of the comet's nucleus was estimated to be 100 to 200 m. According to the latest calculations, its diameter should be between 400 m and 22 km.

Web links

Commons : C / 2011 W3 (Lovejoy)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=125774121
  2. ↑ http://www.sterne-und-weltraum.de/alias/beobachtungstipp/ein-komet-auf-tuchfuehler-zur-sonne-c-2011-w3-lovejoy/1133349
  3. ↑ http://www.space.com/13959-doomed-comet-lovejoy-sun-encounter-wrap.html
  4. ↑ Some Comets like it Hot science.nasa.gov, accessed January 13, 2012
  5. ↑ a b Benjamin Knispel: Comets, Why Comet Lovejoy Survived , astronews.com, Date: Jan. March 2012, Retrieved March 14, 2012
  6. ↑ nasa.gov: Comet Lovejoy Plunges into the Sun and Survives , accessed April 6, 2018
  7. ↑ Proba-2 tracks Comet Lovejoy through Sun's fiery corona esa.int accessed on January 13, 2012