 Comet Erasmus photographed from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 14 November 2020 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Nicolas Erasmus |
| Discovery site | ATLAS–MLO (T08) |
| Discovery date | 17 September 2020 |
| Designations | |
| Alternative designations | CK20S030 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 11 March 2021 (JD 2459284.5) |
| Observation arc | 436 days (1.19 years) |
| Number of observations | 861 |
| Aphelion | 389.268 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.3985 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 194.833 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99795 |
| Orbital period | ~2,720 years |
| Inclination | 19.861° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 222.993° |
| Argument of periapsis | 349.886° |
| Last perihelion | 12 December 2020 |
| TJupiter | 0.762 |
| Earth MOID | 0.315 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.584 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 13.0 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 14.8 |
| Apparent magnitude | 3.0–4.0 (2020 apparition) |
Comet Erasmus, formally designated as C/2020 S3, is a non-periodic comet that became barely visible to the naked eye during the later months of 2020. Its maximum brightness peaked as a 3rd-magnitude object in the night sky, however its proximity to the Sun made it a difficult object to view from the ground.
Discovery and observations
The comet was discovered as an 18.5-magnitude object from four 30-second exposure images taken on 17 September 2020 from the ATLAS–MLO observatory in Mauna Loa, Hawaii. It was initially flagged as a potential near-Earth asteroid until Dr. Nicolas Erasmus analyzed the images and noticed a faint coma around it shortly before announcing the discovery.
It was visible in predawn skies as it made its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 1.09 AU (163 million km) on 19 November 2020. Around this time, the comet was located within the constellation Hydra. The comet's linear polarization was measured between 13 and 23 November 2020, where astronomers have noted a similar performance as those seen from C/1989 X1 (Austin) and C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), with models suggesting a decrease in the abundance of Mg–rich silicate particles in the inner coma by 1/3, revealing a change in the emanations of dust particles from the comet's nucleus.
It was predicted to reach a maximum brightness of magnitude 3.0–4.0 during its perihelion on 12 December 2020 at a distance of 0.4 AU (60 million km) from the Sun. However, the comet's position throughout December was too close to the Sun for ground observations, making it impossible to view at its brightest except from SOHO and STEREO-A.
See also
References
- ^ "MPEC 2020-S119: Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- "C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ M. Mattiazzo. "C/2020 S3 Erasmus". Southern Comets Homepage. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ S. Luntz (15 November 2023). "Why Comet Erasmus Wagged Its Tail As It Sailed Past The Sun". IFLScience.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "SAAO Astronomer discovers new comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)". South African Astronomical Observatory. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- T. Phillips (21 November 2020). "Bright Comet Erasmus". SpaceWeather.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- E. Chornaya; E. Zubko; A. Kochergin; M. Zheltobryukhov; et al. (2023). "C/2020 S3 (Erasmus): Comet with a presumably transient maximum of linear polarization Pmax" (PDF). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 518 (2): 1617–1618. doi:10.1093/mnras/stac3201.
- M. Olason (22 May 2021). "Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
External links
- C/2020 S3 at the JPL Small-Body Database
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