 Hyperbolic path with annual motion | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Edward L. G. Bowell |
| Discovery date | 11 February 1980 |
| Orbital characteristics[1][2] | |
| Epoch | 3 January 1982 (JD 2444972.5) |
| Observation arc | 6.88 years |
| Number of observations | 187 |
| Aphelion | ~75,000 AU (inbound)[1] |
| Perihelion | 3.3639 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.057(hyperbolic trajectory) 1.053 (epoch 1984+) |
| Orbital period | ~7.1 million years (epoch 1950) Ejection (epoch 1977+) |
| Inclination | 1.6617° |
| 114.558° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 135.083° |
| Last perihelion | 12 March 1982 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | > 1 km |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 5.8 |
C/1980 E1 is anon-periodic comet discovered byEdward L. G. Bowell on 11 February 1980 and which came closest to the Sun (perihelion) in March 1982. It is leaving the Solar System on ahyperbolic trajectory due to a close approach to Jupiter. In the 43 years since its discovery only 3 objects with higher eccentricities have been identified,1I/ʻOumuamua (1.2),2I/Borisov (3.35), and3I/ATLAS (6.15).[3][4]
Before entering the inner Solar System for a 1982 perihelion passage, C/1980 E1 had abarycentric (epoch 1950-Jan-01) orbit with anaphelion of 75,000 AU (1.2 ly), and a period of approximately 7.1 million years.[1]
As the comet was approaching on 9 December 1980, it passed within 0.228 AU ofJupiter,[2] which accelerated the comet briefly giving an (epoch 1981-Jan-09) eccentricity of 1.066.[1][5][6] The comet came toperihelion on 12 March 1982,[2] when it had a velocity of 23.3 km/s (52,000 mph) with respect to theSun. Since the epoch of 1977-Mar-04, C/1980 E1 has had a barycentric eccentricity greater than 1,[1] keeping it on a hyperbolic trajectory that will eject it from the Solar System. Objects in hyperbolic orbits have a negative semimajor axis, giving them a positive orbital energy. After leaving the Solar System, C/1980 E1 will have an interstellar velocity() of 3.77 km/s.[a][7] TheMinor Planet Center does not directly list a semimajor axis for this comet.[8] On 24 January 2022,C/2024 L5 (ATLAS) had a similar episode with Saturn, resulting in its ejection from the Solar System.[9]
Theescape velocity from the Sun at Neptune's orbit is 7.7 km/s. By June 1995, the comet was passing Neptune's orbit at 30.1 AU from the Sun continuing its ejection trajectory at 8.6 km/s.[10] Since February 2008, the comet has been more than 50 AU from the Sun.[11]
| Date | Sun distance (AU) | Velocity wrt Sun (km/s) | Uncertainty region (3-sigma) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1682-03-12 | 248.8 AU (37.22 billion km; 23.13 billion mi) | 2.68 | ± 7 million km |
| Perihelion | 3.364 AU (503.2 million km; 312.7 million mi) | 23.3 | ± 1589 km |
| 2282-03-12 | 337.2 AU (50.44 billion km; 31.34 billion mi) | 4.43 | ± 5 million km |
Emission of OH (hydroxide) was observed pre-perihelion while the comet was nearly 5 AU from the Sun.[13] CN (cyanide) was not detected until the comet was near perihelion. Thecomet nucleus was estimated to have a radius of several kilometers. The surface crust was probably a few meters thick.[citation needed]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
.png)
