Comet Lulin

Not to be confused with 145523 Lulin.
For other uses, see Lulin (disambiguation).
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
Comet Lulin as seen on January 31st (top) and February 4th of 2009.
Discovery
Discovered byYe Quanzhi, Lin Chi-Sheng[1][2]
0.41-m Ritchey–Chrétien (D35)[3]
Discovery dateJuly 11, 2007[1][2][3]
Designations
Comet Lulin
Orbital characteristics
EpochDecember 6, 2008 (2454806.5)[4]
Aphelion~64000 AU (epoch 1800)
~2400 AU (epoch 2200)[5]
Perihelion1.2122 AU[4]
Semi-major axis1200 AU[5]
Eccentricity0.99998 (near parabolic)[4][6]
Orbital period42,000 yr (epoch 2200)[5]
Inclination178.37°[4]
Last perihelionJanuary 10, 2009[6]
Next perihelionUnknown

Comet Lulin (official designation C/2007 N3 (Lulin), Traditional Chinese:鹿林彗星) is a non-periodic comet. It was discovered by Ye Quanzhi and Lin Chi-Sheng from Lulin Observatory.[1][2][7] It peaked in brightness at magnitude between +4.5 and +5,[2][8][9][10] becoming visible to the naked eye,[11] and arrived at perigee for observers on Earth on February 24, 2009,[12] and at 0.411 AU (61,500,000 km; 38,200,000 mi) from Earth.[12]

  1. ^ a b c Kronk, Gary W. "C/2007 N3 (Lulin)". cometography.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  2. ^ a b c d Yoshida, Seiichi (December 31, 2008). "C/2007 N3 ( Lulin )". aerith.net. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MPEC2007-O05 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/2007 N3 (Lulin)" (2010-03-11 last obs). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  5. ^ a b c Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3)". Retrieved 2011-01-30. (Solution using the Solar System Barycenter. Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
  6. ^ a b "C/2007 N3 (Lulin) Orbital Elements". IAU Minor Planet Center. Archived from the original on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  7. ^ Dyer, Alan (2009). "Venus Kicks Off the Year of Astronomy (pg. 24-27)". In Dickinson, Terence (ed.). SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing. Vol. XIV, Issue 5 (January/February 2009 ed.). Yarker, Ontario: SkyNews Inc. p. 38.
  8. ^ Reinder J. Bouma and Edwin van Dijk. "C/2007 N3 (Lulin) magnitude estimates". Astrosite Groningen. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  9. ^ "Recent Comet Brightness Estimates". ICQ/CBAT/MPC. International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
  10. ^ McRobert, Alan; Bryant, Greg (February 23, 2009). "Observing Highlights - Catch Comet Lulin at Its Best!". Sky & Telescope. SkyandTelescope.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
  11. ^ "Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) observation list". cobs.si. Comet OBServation database. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b "JPL Close-Approach Data: C/2007 N3 (Lulin)" (2010-03-11 last obs). Retrieved 2010-03-23.