 Infrared image of Comet Clark taken byNEOWISE on 9 September 2017 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Michael Clark |
| Discovery date | 9 June 1973 |
| Designations | |
| P/1973 L1, P/1978 G1 | |
| |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
| Aphelion | 4.685 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.562 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.124AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.4999 |
| Orbital period | 5.521a |
| Inclination | 9.4883° |
| Last perihelion | 21 January 2023[1] |
| Next perihelion | 28 September 2028[2] |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 0.83 km (0.52 mi)[3] |
| 0.035 (assumed) | |
| (V–R) =0.64±0.07[4] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 11.1 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 14.6 |
71P/Clark is aperiodiccomet in theSolar System with an orbital period of 5.5 years.
It was discovered by Michael Clark atMount John University Observatory, New Zealand on 9 June 1973 with a brightness ofapparent magnitude 13. Subsequently it has been observed in 1978, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2011[5] and 2017.[6]
The nucleus of the comet has a radius of 0.68 ± 0.04 km (0.423 ± 0.025 mi), assuming ageometric albedo of 0.04, based on observations byHubble Space Telescope,[4] while observations byKeck indicate a radius of 1.305 km (0.811 mi).[7] Another study in 2006 places the nuclear radius around 0.83 km (0.52 mi) assuming that it has a geometric albedo of0.035±0.012.[3]
| Numbered comets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 70P/Kojima | 71P/Clark | Next 72P/Denning–Fujikawa |
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