| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Zhu Jin David D. Balam |
| Discovery site | Beijing, China Victoria, Australia |
| Discovery date | 3–8 June 1997 |
| Designations | |
| Comet Xinglong[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3][4] | |
| Epoch | 22 August 1997 (JD 2450682.5) |
| Observation arc | 453 days (1.24 years) |
| Number of observations | 213 |
| Aphelion | ~4,800 AU |
| Perihelion | 4.899 AU |
| Semi-major axis | ~2,420 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99797 |
| Orbital period | ~118,900 years |
| Inclination | 72.991° |
| 233.30° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 346.37° |
| Mean anomaly | 0.002° |
| Last perihelion | 22 November 1996 |
| TJupiter | 0.805 |
| EarthMOID | 3.9127 AU |
| JupiterMOID | 0.4171 AU |
| Physical characteristics[3][5] | |
| Dimensions | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 6.5 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 8.5 |
Comet Zhu–Balam, formally designatedC/1997 L1, is anon-periodic comet first identified byDavid D. Balam on 8 June 1997, and originally photographed byZhu Jin on 3 June 1997.[5][6] The comet is estimated at 10 kilometres in diameter,[5] with a period of approximately 36,895 years.[4]
Until 1998, the comet was formerly known asComet Xinglong,[2] until theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU) agreed to rename it Zhu–Balam after its first two discoverers.[7]
Given theorbital eccentricity of this object, differentepochs can generate quite different heliocentric unperturbedtwo-bodybest-fit solutions to the aphelion distance (maximum distance) of this object. For objects at such high eccentricity, the Sun'sbarycentric coordinates are more stable than heliocentric coordinates. UsingJPL Horizons the barycentric orbital elements for epoch 2015-Jan-01 generate asemi-major axis of 1,100 AU and a period of approximately 36,895 years.[4]
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