C/2011 N3 (SOHO)
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | SOHO Masanori Uchina |
| Discovery date | 4 July 2011 |
| Designations | |
| SOHO-2107 | |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch | 5 July 2011 (JD 2455747.5) |
| Observation arc | 2 days |
| Number of observations | 114 |
| Orbit type | Kreutz sungrazer |
| Perihelion | 0.0053 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.00027 |
| Max. orbital speed | ~650 km/s[3] |
| Inclination | 144.44° |
| 6.431° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 85.046° |
| Mean anomaly | –0.011° |
| Last perihelion | 6 July 2011 |
| Earth MOID | 0.555 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.991 AU |
| Physical characteristics[6] | |
Mean radius | 0.005–0.025 km (0.0031–0.0155 mi) |
| Mass | ~5.9 million tons[5] |
| ~1.0 (2011 apparition) | |
C/2011 N3 (SOHO), also known as SOHO-2107, was a Kreutz sungrazer comet that disintegrated during perihelion on 6 July 2011.[7] In January 2012, it was revealed that the comet was also observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light,[8][a] providing rare insights to its actual chemical composition, mass, and nucleus size.[6]
See also
Notes
- ^ C/2011 N3 is the first comet of the Kreutz sungrazer family to be observed in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.[5]
References
- ^ K. Battams; G. V. Williams (September 2011). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO)". IAU Circular. 9227 (1). Bibcode:2011IAUC.9227....1B.
- ^ M. Uchina; K. Battams; G. V. Williams (12 July 2011). "Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO)". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. 2011-N41.
- ^ E. Baldwin (20 January 2012). "Astronomers capture comet's dive into Sun". Astronomy Now. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "C/2011 N3 (SOHO) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b G. H. Jones; M. M. Knight; K. Battams; et al. (2018). "The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets". Space Science Reviews. 214 (1): 20–106. Bibcode:2018SSRv..214...20J. doi:10.1007/s11214-017-0446-5.
- ^ a b C. J. Schrijver; J. C. Brown; K. Battams; et al. (2012). "Destruction of Sungrazing Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO) within the Low Solar Corona" (PDF). Science. 335 (6066): 324–338. Bibcode:2012Sci...335..324S. doi:10.1126/science.1211688. hdl:2060/20140005820. PMID 22267810. S2CID 2837424.
- ^ J. Matson (19 January 2012). "Solar Swan Song: NASA Satellite Witnesses a Comet's Plunge into the Sun". Scientific American. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ C. Q. Choi (20 January 2012). "Comet's Death Dive Into Sun Seen in Detail for 1st Time". Space.com. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
External links
- C/2011 N3 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- The Sungrazer Project by Karl Battams