| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert H. McNaught Kenneth S. Russell |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Observatory |
| Discovery date | 17 December 1993 |
| Designations | |
| C/1993 Y1 C/574 G1 | |
| 1994 XI 1993v | |
| Orbital characteristics[2][3] | |
| Epoch | 28 April 1994 (JD 2449470.5) |
| Observation arc | 265 days |
| Number of observations | 377 |
| Aphelion | 270 AU (inbound) 240 AU (outbound) |
| Perihelion | 0.8676 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.9932 |
| Orbital period | 1,600 years (inbound) 1,300 years (outbound) 1,430 ± 30a |
| Inclination | 51.586° |
| 166.359° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 353.468° |
| Last perihelion | 31 March 1994 |
| Next perihelion | ~3300 |
| TJupiter | 0.755 |
| EarthMOID | 0.1212 AU |
| JupiterMOID | 2.6212 AU |
| Physical characteristics[4][5] | |
Mean radius | 0.75±0.02 km |
| Mass | 7.1×1011 kg |
Meandensity | 480±60 kg/m3 |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 12.3 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 16.9 |
| 6.5 (1994 apparition) | |
Comet McNaught–Russell, formally designated asC/1993 Y1, is along-period comet that reached a maximum magnitude of 6.5 (just below naked eye level) in early 1994. It was discovered byRobert H. McNaught andKenneth S. Russell using theUK Schmidt Telescope in Australia. McNaught and Russell worked atSiding Spring Observatory and together discovered five comets between 1991 and 1995.
Itsorbital period was found to be very high – initially estimated at over 1400 years.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery site | China |
| Discovery date | 4 April 574 |
| Orbital characteristics[6] | |
| Epoch | 25 March 574 (JD 1930794.5) |
| Observation arc | 49 days |
| Number of observations | 3 |
| Perihelion | 0.730 AU |
| Orbital period | 1,430 ± 30 years |
| Inclination | 54° |
| 155° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 342° |
| Last perihelion | 25 March 574 31 March 1994 |
| Next perihelion | ~3300 |
It was noted by Francois Colas (Paris observatory)[7] and Ichiro Hasegawa[8] that the path of McNaught–Russell coincided with that of cometC/574 G1, which was recorded in AD 574 over a period from April 4 to May 23 by observers in China. This would give the comet a period of 1430 ± 30 years and so making it the longest period comet to be seen on two separate returns. Since the comet was not observed to approach any planets, its orbit should remain largely unchanged on its next return. This would place its next approach to the inner Solar System around 3300.
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