 C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) from a 3-minute exposure taken using a 6"refractor on 28 November 2013 | |
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Terry Lovejoy |
| Discovery site | Thornlands, Australia |
| Discovery date | 7 September 2013 |
| Designations | |
| CK13R010[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4][5] | |
| Epoch | 29 December 2013 (JD 2456655.5) |
| Observation arc | 372 days (1.02 years) |
| Number of observations | 3,894 |
| Aphelion | ~830 AU (outbound) |
| Perihelion | 0.812 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99843 |
| Orbital period | ~6,900 years (inbound) ~8,500 years (outbound) |
| Inclination | 64.041° |
| 70.711° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 67.166° |
| Mean anomaly | 0.001° |
| Last perihelion | 22 December 2013[3] |
| TJupiter | 0.499 |
| EarthMOID | 0.146 AU |
| JupiterMOID | 1.564 AU |
| Physical characteristics[8] | |
Mean radius | 1.266 ± 0.10 km (0.787 ± 0.062 mi) |
Meandensity | 480±70 kg/m3 |
| 47.8±1.2 hours[6] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 11.5[5] |
| 4.0 (2013 apparition)[7] | |
C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) is anon-periodic comet discovered on 7 September 2013 using a 0.2 m (7.9 in)Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope.[2] It is the fourth comet discovered byTerry Lovejoy. It crossed thecelestial equator on 14 October 2013, which made it better observed from theNorthern Hemisphere.
By 1 November 2013, the comet was visible to thenaked eye near theBeehive Cluster (M44), about halfway betweenJupiter andRegulus.[9] It became more impressive thanC/2012 S1 (ISON).[10] In binoculars, the comet has the appearance of a green, unresolvedglobular cluster.
C/2013 R1 made its closest approach to Earth on 19 November 2013 at a distance of 0.3967 AU (59.35 million km),[5] and reached anapparent magnitude of about 4.5.[11] On 27 November 2013 the comet was in the constellation ofCanes Venatici, near the bottom of the handle of theBig Dipper. From 28 November until 4 December 2013, the comet was in the constellationBoötes. On 1 December 2013 it passed the starBeta Boötis.[12] From 4 December until 12 December 2013, the comet was in the constellationCorona Borealis.
From 12 December until 14 January 2014, the comet was in the constellationHercules. On 14 December 2013, it passed the starZeta Herculis.[12] The comet came toperihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 22 December 2013 at a distance of 0.81 AU (121,000,000 km; 75,000,000 mi) from the Sun.[3] At perihelion, the comet had anelongation of 51 degrees from the Sun. By September 2014, the comet had faded to magnitude 18.[13]
Narrow-band spectroscopy of the comet in December 2013 revealed that thecoma of C/2013 R1 has a relatively high abundance inH2O andCO2 molecules.[14] Additional photometry fromTRAPPIST until July 2014 determined that the detected organic compounds on its coma (OH,NH,CN,C3, andC2) were partly caused by the breakdown ofHCN outgassing from the comet.[15]
Infrared observations from theKeck Observatory detected enriched amounts ofCO, as well as hydrocarbons likeCH4,C2H6, andCH3OH, indicating the variability of chemicals found in otherOort cloud comets.[16] Other complex organic compounds, such asHCOOH,CH3CHO,(CH2OH)2 andNH2CHO, were also detected from the comet.[17]
Thenucleus of C/2013 R1 is estimated to be about1.266±0.10 km in radius, with a low bulk density of roughly about480±70 kg/m3.[8] Measurements of the dust emission structures around the comet determined that it has a rotation period about47.8±1.2 hours in length.[6]
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