P/2003 T12 (SOHO)

P/2003 T12 (SOHO)
Discovery
Discovered by	SOHO
Discovery date	10 October 2003
Designations
Alternative designations	P/2003 T12; P/2012 A3
Orbital characteristics
Epoch	25 May 2012 (JD 2456072.5)
Observation arc	4,592 days (12.57 years)
Number of; observations	491
Aphelion	4.5612 AU
Perihelion	0.5748 AU
Semi-major axis	2.568 AU
Eccentricity	0.77617
Orbital period	4.1153 years
Inclination	11.4752°
Longitude of; ascending node	176.466°
Argument of; periapsis	217.669°
Last perihelion	3 July 2024
Next perihelion	2028
TJupiter	2.894
Earth MOID	0.1547 AU
Jupiter MOID	1.0191 AU
Physical characteristics
Comet total; magnitude (M1)	19.6
Apparent magnitude	8.5; (2012 apparition)

P/2003 T12 is a periodic comet that revolves around the Sun once every 4.11 years.^[2] On January 13, 2012, it was observed by the satellite STEREO-B, and the most documented phase of P/2003 T12 was observed on that date. It is theorized to be a possible fragment of comet 169P/NEAT.^[3]

January 12, 2012 event

During its apparition on January 12, 2012, it ventured into the highest phase angle ever observed for a comet, and the forward-scattering enhancement in brightness was marked, as large as ~8.5 mag. This has given insight into Henyey-Greenstein (HG) space-dust.^[4]

References

^ S. Yoshida. "P/2003 T12 = P/2012 A3 (SOHO)". aerith.net. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b "P/2003 T12 (SOHO) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
^ S. R. Alvarez; A. S. Oyarzabal (2024). "Comet P/2003 T12 (SOHO): A possible fragment of comet 169P/NEAT?". Planetary and Space Science. 246. Bibcode:2024P&SS..24605902A. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2024.105902.
^ M. T. Hui (2013). "Observations of Comet P/2003 T12 = 2012 A3 (SOHO) at large phase angle in STEREO-B". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 436 (2): 1564–1575. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.436.1564H. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1683. ISSN 0035-8711.

[Yoshida_2024-1] S. Yoshida. "P/2003 T12 = P/2012 A3 (SOHO)". aerith.net. Retrieved 5 November 2024.

[jpl-2] "P/2003 T12 (SOHO) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 19 March 2024.

[Alvarez_2024-3] S. R. Alvarez; A. S. Oyarzabal (2024). "Comet P/2003 T12 (SOHO): A possible fragment of comet 169P/NEAT?". Planetary and Space Science. 246. Bibcode:2024P&SS..24605902A. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2024.105902.

[Hui_2013-4] M. T. Hui (2013). "Observations of Comet P/2003 T12 = 2012 A3 (SOHO) at large phase angle in STEREO-B". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 436 (2): 1564–1575. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.436.1564H. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1683. ISSN 0035-8711.

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