60P/Tsuchinshan

60P/Tsuchinshan
Discovery
Discovered byTsuchinshan (Observatory)
Discovery dateJanuary 11, 1965
Designations
1965 II; 1971 X; 1978 XVI;
1985 X; 1992 XII
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2011-Nov-15
(JD 2455880.5)
Aphelion5.398 AU
Perihelion1.618 AU
Semi-major axis3.508 AU
Eccentricity0.5385
Orbital period6.785 a
Inclination3.609°
Last perihelionDecember 11, 2018[1][2]
May 13, 2012[2][3]
December 24, 2005[2]
Next perihelion2025-Jul-20[4]

60P/Tsuchinshan, also known as Tsuchinshan 2, is a periodic comet in the Solar System with an orbital period of 6.79 years.[5] Tsuchinshan is the Wade-Giles transliteration corresponding to the pinyin Zĭjīn Shān 紫金山, which is Mandarin Chinese for "Purple Mountain".

It was discovered at the Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking, China on 11 January 1965 with a magnitude estimated as a very faint 15. The elliptical orbit was computed to give a perihelion date of 9 February 1965 with an orbital period of 6.69 years. Revised calculations predicted the next perihelion would be on 28 November 1971 and Elizabeth Roemer of the University of Arizona successfully relocated the comet with the 154-cm reflector at Catalina. It was also observed in 1978, 1985, 1991-1992, and 1998-1999.

The comet peaked at about apparent magnitude 16.3 in 2012.[6] On 29 December 2077 the comet will pass 0.068 AU (10,200,000 km; 6,300,000 mi) from Mars.[7]

  1. ^ MPC
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Yoshida-60p was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NK1766 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Horizons2025 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kronk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Yoshida-2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference jpl-close was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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