C/2010 X1 
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For beliefs regarding a supposed collision between Earth and Comet Elenin, see Nibiru collision.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Leonid Elenin 0.45-m reflector (H15)[1][2] |
| Discovery date: | December 10, 2010 |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch: | March 24, 2011 (JD 2455644.5)[3] |
| Aphelion distance: | ~1034 AU[4] |
| Perihelion distance: | 0.48242 AU[3] |
| Semi-major axis: | ~517 AU[4] |
| Eccentricity: | 1.0000606[3] |
| Orbital period: | ~11,750 yr[4] |
| Inclination: | 1.839°[3] |
| Last perihelion: | unknown |
| Next perihelion: | 10 September 2011[3] |
In April 2011, the comet was around magnitude 15 (roughly the brightness of Pluto), and the coma (expanding tenuous dust atmosphere) of the comet was estimated to be about 80,000 km in diameter.[7] As of 21 May 2011, the coma has exceeded 100,000 km.[8][9] Even at a magnitude of 13.1, the comet is about 440 times fainter than the naked eye magnitude of 6.5.[10] Between May 22 and June 4 visual magnitude estimates by the International Visual Observations of Comets (I.V.O.C.) have varied from 13.1 to 13.8.
C/2010 X1 will come to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 10 September 2011 at a distance of 0.4824 AU.[3] On 16 October 2011, the comet will pass within about 0.233 AU (34,900,000 km; 21,700,000 mi) of the Earth[3] at a relative velocity of 86,000 km/hr.[3] The Minor Planet Center ephemeris shows this relatively bright comet will reach about 6th magnitude near mid-October 2011,[11] but until the activity level of the coma is better known it is still uncertain just how bright this comet will become.[12]45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková on the morning of October 8, before moving apparently close to and in front of Mars on October 15. The comet came to opposition at 178° from the Sun on March 14, 2011 and will come to opposition again on November 22, 2011 at 175° from the Sun. The minimum angle between the Sun and comet will occur September 26 (1.9°), and between July 28 and October 10 the comet will be less than 45 degrees from the Sun. Elenin will make its closest apparent pass in the night sky to Comet
Given the orbital eccentricity of this object, different epochs can generate quite different heliocentric unperturbed two-body best-fit solutions to the aphelion distance (maximum distance) of this object. Near perihelion using an August 2011 epoch, Kazuo Kinoshita shows C/2010 X1 to have a heliocentric orbital period of 600,000 years,[13] but being on a highly eccentric orbit, the comet will be frequently perturbed by the planets as it leaves the inner solar system.[14] For objects at such high eccentricity, the Sun's barycentric coordinates are more stable than heliocentric coordinates.[15] The orbit of a long-period comet is properly obtained when the osculating orbit is computed at an epoch after leaving the planetary region and is calculated with respect to the center of mass of the solar system. Using JPL Horizons with an observed orbital arc of 179 days, the barycentric orbital elements for epoch 2020-Jan-01 generate a semi-major axis of 517 AU and a period of approximately 11,700 years.[4]
Before entering the planetary region (epoch 1950), Elenin had a calculated barycentric orbital period of ~4.4 million years with an apoapsis (aphelion) distance of about 54,300 AU (0.85 light-years).[4] Elenin was probably in the outer Oort cloud with a loosely bound chaotic orbit that was easily perturbed by passing stars.
GRACE ABOUND!!!
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