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C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko–George)

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C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko–George)
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered byBoris Skoritchenko
Douglas B. George
Discovery date17 December 1989
Designations
1990 VI
1989e1
Orbital characteristics[3][4]
Epoch24 February 1990 (JD 2447946.5)
Observation arc1,008 days (2.76 years)
Number of
observations
106
Aphelion1,188.42 AU
Perihelion1.569 AU
Semi-major axis594.994 AU
Eccentricity0.997363
Orbital period14,514 years
Inclination59.3660
279.998°
Argument of
periapsis
137.862°
Last perihelion11 April 1990
Earth MOID0.7346 AU
Jupiter MOID1.8047 AU
Physical characteristics[3]
Comet total
magnitude
(M1)
5.3
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)
11.9
9–10
(1990 apparition)

Comet Skorichenko–George (sometimes spelled Scorichenko–George), formally designated as C/1989 Y1, 1990 VI, and 1989e1, is a non-periodic comet co-discovered by astronomers Boris Skorichenko and Doug George on December 17, 1989. It has a hyperbolic trajectory around the Sun,[3] but still weakly bound to it by its barycenter.[4]

Discovery and observations

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It was discovered on December 17, 1989 by Doug George of Kanata (near Ottawa), Ontario, Canada, and Soviet astronomer Boris Skoritchenko (Mezmay, Krasnodar Krai). Skoritchenko was using 8×20 binoculars,[5] whilst George was using a 16" reflector and had searched for 65 hours[6]. The comet was magnitude 10.5 in the northern evening sky. It passed its perihelion on April 11, 1990 at a distance of 1.57 AU (235 million km),[3] and remained visible as a magnitude 9–10 object in the night sky until April 1990

C2 emission bands were observed in the comet Skorichenko-George. Unlike most comets, Skorichenko–George did not produce a tail.[7] Its coma remained consistently diffuse, estimated to be around 190,000–290,000 km (120,000–180,000 mi) in diameter.[7]

References

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  1. ^ D. W. Green (19 December 1989). "COMET GEORGE (1989e1)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4925. Bibcode:1989IAUC.4925....1G.
  2. ^ D. W. Green (23 December 1989). "COMET SKORICHENKO-GEORGE (1989e1)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4929. Bibcode:1989IAUC.4929....1C.
  3. ^ a b c d "C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko–George) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for Comet C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko-George)". Retrieved 4 February 2011. (Solution using the Solar System Barycenter and barycentric coordinates. Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
  5. ^ V. Korneyev. "C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko-George)" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 15 March 2005.
  6. ^ D. Machholz (February 1990). "SAC News: Comet Comments" (PDF). Saguaro Astronomy Club. No. 157. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2011.
  7. ^ a b D. Machholz (August 1997). "The apparition of comet Skorichenko-George (1989e1 = 1990 VI)". Strolling Astronomer. 39 (4): 177–189. Bibcode:1997JALPO..39..177M.