- P/2006 T1 (Levy)
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P/2006 T1 (Levy) Discovery Discovered by: David H. Levy Discovery date: 2006-Oct-02[1] Orbital characteristics A Epoch: 2006-Oct-18[1]
(JD 2454026.5)Aphelion distance: 5.04 AU (Q) Perihelion distance: 0.989 AU (q) Semi-major axis: 3.01 AU (a) Eccentricity: 0.672 Orbital period: 5.24 yr Inclination: 18.3° Last perihelion: 2006-Oct-07[1] Next perihelion: 2012-Jan-11[2] P/2006 T1 (Levy) is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 5.24 years.[1] It last came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 7 October 2006.[1] During the 2006 passage the comet only achieved an apparent magnitude of ~9.5.[3] Levy (PK06T010) was believed to have been recovered on 03 June 2011 at magnitude 19.8,[4] but other observatories have been unable to confirm a recovery. It was most likely a false positive because of large residuals. It has not been observed since 01 December 2006, and only has a confirmed observation arc of 60 days.[1] As of October 2011, comet Levy still has not been recovered.[5]
The next perihelion passage is calculated to be on 11 January 2012 at a distance of 1.007 AU from the Sun.[2] This comet will pass the Earth on 2012-Jan-20 at between 0.15 to 0.20 AU (with 0.18 AU being the nominal solution).[6] (A recovery image of the comet will allow a notable reduction in the error bars and the cone of uncertainty.) During the 2012 passage the comet was expected to reach an apparent magnitude of 7,[7] and should have an elongation of 90°.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: P/2006 T1 (Levy)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 2006-12-01 last obs (arc=60 days). http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2006T1. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Horizons output. "Observer Table for Comet P/2006 T1 (Levy)". http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=2006T1. Retrieved 2011-04-07. (Observer Location:@sun)
- ^ "P/2006 T1 Comet for Windows apmag graph for 2006". aerith.net. http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2006T1/mag.gif. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- ^ "MPEC 2011-L51 : OBSERVATIONS AND ORBITS OF COMETS". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2011-06-12. http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K11/K11L51.html. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ Danilo Pivato (2011-Oct-22). "Yet another failed recovery attempt at Comet P/2006 T1 (Levy)". http://www.danilopivato.com/solar_system/comets/p2006_t1_levy/2011.10.22.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
- ^ "JPL Close-Approach Data: P/2006 T1 (Levy)". 2006-11-25 last obs (arc=54 days). http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2006T1;cad=1#cad. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b "Elements and Ephemeris for P/2006 T1 (Levy)". IAU Minor Planet Center. http://scully.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/returnprepeph.cgi?d=c&o=PK06T010. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
- P/2006 T1 (Levy) at the Minor Planet Center's Database
- P/2006 T1 ( Levy ) - Seiichi Yoshida @ aerith.net (with pictures taken by different astronomers around the world)
- P/2006 T1 (Levy) as seen at the Great Shefford Observatory in 2006
Categories:- Comets
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