C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy)

For other comets discovered by Terry Lovejoy, see Comet Lovejoy.
C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy)
Comet Lovejoy photographed by Dan Burbank aboard the ISS, 21 December 2011
Discovery
Discovered byTerry Lovejoy
Discovery date27 November 2011
Designations
  • Great Comet of 2011
  • C/2011 W3
Orbital characteristics[2]
EpochJD 2455901.5
(6 December 2011)
Aphelion157.36±0.50 AU
Perihelion0.00555 AU
Semi-major axis78.68±0.25 AU
Eccentricity0.99993
Orbital period~622 yr (epoch 2200)[1]
Max. orbital speed565 km/s
Inclination134.36°±0.002°
326.369°
Argument of
periapsis		53.5092°
Mean anomaly359.986°
Last perihelion16 December 2011
Next perihelionc. 2633?[1]

Comet Lovejoy, formally designated C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), is a long-period comet and Kreutz sungrazer. It was discovered in November 2011 by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy. The comet's perihelion took it through the Sun's corona on 16 December 2011, after which it emerged intact, though greatly impacted by the event.[ambiguous]

As Comet Lovejoy was announced on the 16th anniversary of the SOHO satellite's launch it became known as "The Great Birthday Comet of 2011", and because it was visible from Earth during the Christmas holiday it was also nicknamed "The Great Christmas Comet of 2011".[3][4] Lovejoy was retroactively dubbed the Great Comet of 2011.[5]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference horizons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy)". Small-Body Database Lookup. ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference sungrazer-c1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference pcmag20111227 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Great Comets: What Are They, And When Will the Next Comet Be Visible?". Star Walk. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.