C/1999 S4 (LINEAR)
Semi-major axis ~700 AU[2] (a) | | |
| Eccentricity | 1.00010[3] | |
|---|---|---|
| Orbital period | ~18,700 yr (epoch 2010)[2] | |
| Inclination | 149.38° | |
| Last perihelion | July 26, 2000[3] | |
| Next perihelion | unknown/disintegrated | |
C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) was a
The comet made its closest approach to the Earth on July 22, 2000, at a distance of 0.3724
The comet nucleus was estimated to be about 0.9 km in diameter.[5] Before the comet broke up, the (dust and water) nucleus erosion rate was about 1 cm per day.[5] The comet brightened near July 5, 2000, and underwent a minor fragmentation event.[6] The comet brightened again around July 20, 2000, and then disintegrated.[7] The published optical and most radio data support that the main nuclear decay started July 23, 2000.[5] The dust cloud expanded at about 20 meters per second (45 miles per hour) while the fragments expanded at around 7 m/s (16 mph).[5] Other comets are known to have disappeared, but Comet LINEAR is the first one to have been caught in the act.[8]
The orbit of a long-period comet is properly obtained when the
References
- ^ IAU Minor Planet Center. 1999-10-01. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ barycentric coordinates. Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
- ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/1999 S4 (LINEAR)" (last observation: 2000-07-24; arc: 301 days). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ "JPL Close-Approach Data: C/1999 S4 (LINEAR)" (last observation: 2000-07-24; arc: 301 days). Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ .
- ^ Donna Weaver, Michael Purdy (July 28, 2000). "Hubble Sees Comet Linear Blow its Top". Hubblesite newscenter. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ Ray Villard, Michael Purdy (August 7, 2000). "Hubble Discovers Missing Pieces of Comet Linear". Hubblesite newscenter. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ Mark Kidger (4 August 2000). "COMET LINEAR: GOING, GOING... BUT NOT QUITE GONE!". The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
- C/1999 S4 ( LINEAR ) – Seiichi Yoshida @ aerith.net
- C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) – Gary W. Kronk
- Hubble Sees Comet Linear Blow its Top STScI-2000-26 (7 July 2000)
- Hubble Discovers Missing Pieces of Comet Linear STScI-2000-27 (5 August 2000)
- The VLT Observes Comet LINEAR's "Shower" (6 August 2000)
- Comet LINEAR continues to disintegrate and could disappear completely within a few days Archived 2020-07-27 at the Wayback Machine (31 July 2000)
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