C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS)
Discovery
Discovered byPan-STARRS
Discovery date2 October 2017
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2458756.5 (30 Sept 2019)
Observation arc3.93 years
Number of
observations		6896
Orbit typeOort cloud
Aphelion~74000 AU (inbound)[1]
~3000 AU (outbound)
Perihelion1.6150 AU
Eccentricity0.99971
Orbital period~7 million years (inbound)[1]
~55000 years (outbound)
Inclination57.232°
Last perihelion4 May 2020[2]
Earth MOID1.2 AU (180 million km; 470 LD)
Jupiter MOID0.99 AU (148 million km; 390 LD)

C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS) is an Oort cloud comet discovered on 2 October 2017[3] when it was 9.2 AU (1.38 billion km) from the Sun. The closest approach to Earth was on 28 December 2019 at a distance of 1.52 AU (227 million km). It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 4 May 2020[2] when it was safe from disintegration at 1.6 AU from the Sun. (Mars is also roughly 1.6 AU from the Sun.)

Comet C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS) brightened to apparent magnitude 8 and was visible with 50mm binoculars.[4][5] On 22-24 May 2020, the comet passed near the galaxy pair of Messier 81 and Messier 82, passing less than one degree from the latter.[6] In early June 2020 the comet was near the magnitude 1.8 star Dubhe in Ursa Major.[7]

Based on the light curve of the comet nucleus, it has been estimated that the nucleus has a rotational period of 5.6759 ± 0.0046 h.[8] The comet at perihelion had a water production of 6×1028 molecules/s. Also when observed in CN featured two side jets in June 2020, but they weren't observed one month later.[9] Concentric structures were observed in the inner coma in May 2020, probably created by a jet with rotation axis towards the Earth.[10]

JPL Horizons using an epoch 1950 orbit solution models that C/2017 T2 took millions of years to come from the Oort cloud at a distance of roughly 74,000 AU (1.2 ly).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)". Solution using the Solar System Barycenter. Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0 (To be outside planetary region, inbound epoch 1950 and outbound epoch 2050. For epoch 1950-Jan-01 orbit period is "PR= 2.6E+09 / 365.25 days" = ~7.1 million years)
  2. 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ↑ Weryk, R.; Sato, H.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Woodworth, D.; Micheli, M.; Soulier, J. -F. (1 October 2017). "Comet C/2017 T2 (Panstarrs)". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams. 4445: 1. Bibcode:2017CBET.4445....1W.
  4. ↑ "Comet Observation database (COBS)". Retrieved 27 May 2020. "C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) plot" Archived 2021-11-20 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Seiichi Yoshida. "C/2017 T2 ( PanSTARRS )". Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. ↑ Lawrence, Pete (1 May 2020). "How to see and photograph comet C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS". BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Dickinson, David (13 February 2020). "Catch Comet T2 PanSTARRS This Spring". Universe Today. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Bahyl, Vladimír; Balážová, Emília (1 January 2022). "Comet C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS): Nucleus Lightcurve and Period". Minor Planet Bulletin. 49 (1): 59–60. Bibcode:2022MPBu...49...59B. ISSN 1052-8091.
  9. ↑ Schleicher, D. G.; Knight, M. M.; Skiff, B. A. (1 October 2020). "A Smorgasbord of Recent Comet Narrowband Imaging and Photometry: Results from NEOWISE (C/2020 F3), ATLAS (C/2019 Y4), PanSTARRS (C/2017 T2), and 88P/Howell". Aas/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts. Vol 52. 52 (6): 111.05. Bibcode:2020DPS....5211105S.
  10. ↑ Manzini, Federico; Ochner, Paolo; Oldani, Virginio; Bedin, Luigi R. (2 May 2020). "ATel #13698: Concentric structures in the inner coma of comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)". The Astronomer's Telegram.


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