62P/Tsuchinshan

62P/Tsuchinshan 1
NEOWISE image 14 January 2018
Discovery
Discovered byPurple Mountain Observatory, Nanking
Discovery dateJanuary 1, 1965
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2024-01-11[1]
(JD 2460320.5)
Aphelion5.472 AU (Q)
Perihelion1.265 AU (q)
Semi-major axis3.369 AU (a)
Eccentricity0.6245
Orbital period6.18 yr
Inclination10.50°
Last perihelion2017-Nov-16[1]
2011-Jun-30[2][3]
(unobserved)
Next perihelion2023-Dec-25[1][4]
Perihelion distance
at different epochs[5]
Epoch Perihelion
(AU)
1800 2.45
1859 2.11
1882 2.04
1905 1.96
1965 1.49
2011 1.38
2023 1.26
2094 1.21
2106 1.15

62P/Tsuchinshan, also known as Tsuchinshan 1, is a periodic comet first discovered January 1, 1965 at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanking.[6] It last came to perihelion on 25 December 2023 at around apparent magnitude 8,[2] and was then 0.53 AU (79 million km) from Earth and 110 degrees from the Sun.[4]

During the 2004 perihelion passage the comet brightened to about apparent magnitude 11.[7] The comet was not observed during the 2011 unfavorable apparition since the perihelion passage occurred when the comet was on the far side of the Sun. During the 2023 apparition it brightened to 8th magnitude.[8]

On 2049 April 1 the comet will pass about 0.016 AU (2,400,000 km; 1,500,000 mi) from Mars.[6]

62P/Tsuchinshan closest Mars approach on 2049-Apr-01[6]
Date & time of
closest approach 		Mars distance
(AU) 		Sun distance
(AU) 		Velocity
wrt Mars
(km/s) 		Velocity
wrt Sun
(km/s) 		Uncertainty
region
(3-sigma) 		Reference
2049-Apr-01 16:38 ± 14 minutes 0.0157 AU (2.35 million km; 1.46 million mi; 6.1 LD) 1.53 AU (229 million km; 142 million mi) 12.0 30.0 ± 11 thousand km Horizons
  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MPC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Yoshida-62p was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NK1604 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Horizons2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kinoshita was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Yoshida-2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Ling, Alister; Ratcliffe, Martin (1 December 2023). "Sky This Month: December 2023". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved 31 December 2023.