Comet Siding Spring 2015

Comet c 2013 a1 siding spring.

Comet siding spring 2015. It made history last october when it approached planet mars within a very short record distance under our eyes. Now that scientists can see the coma they estimate it is roughly 12 000 miles 19 000 kilometers across. When classified as a minor planet it had the fourth largest aphelion of any known minor planet in the solar system after 2005 vx 3 2012 dr 30 and 2013 bl 76. Comet siding spring has crossed the snow and water lines key points when it is close enough for the sun s warmth to activate it.

A comet s coma is the atmosphere of gas and dust around the nucleus of the comet. Mcnaught at siding spring observatory using the 0 5 meter 20 in uppsala southern schmidt telescope. It additionally had the most eccentric orbit of any known minor planet with its distance from the sun varying by about 99 9 during the course of its orbit followed by. Siding spring observatory near coonabarabran new south wales australia part of the research school of astronomy astrophysics rsaa at the australian national university anu incorporates the anglo australian telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the australian national university the university of new south wales and other institutions.

Comet c 2013 a1 siding spring will make a very close flyby of mars on oct. Passing at a distance of only 87 000 miles by comparison that s little. 19 comet c 2013 a1 comet siding spring will pass within about 87 000 miles 139 500 km of mars. Panstarrs c 2015 er61 panstarrs is a comet inner oort cloud object amor near earth asteroid and possibly a damocloid.

C 2015 er 61 panstarrs c 2015 er. Follow comet siding spring at marscomet on october 19 comet siding spring will pass within 88 000 miles of mars just one third of the distance from the e. At the time of discovery it was 7 2 au from the sun and located in the constellation lepus comet c 2013 a1 probably took millions of years to come from the oort cloud. Comet siding spring nasa.

This animation and still image of comet c 2013 a1 siding spring were taken by the mast camera mastcam on nasa s curiosity mars rover as the comet passed near the red planet on oct.