101P/Chernykh

101P/Chernykh^[7] is a periodic comet which was first discovered on 19 August 1977, by Nikolaj Stepanovich Chernykh.^[1][8] It will next come to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in 2034.

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101P/Chernykh

Fragment A of 101P/Chernykh imaged from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 2 February 2020
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Nikolai S. Chernykh
Discovery site	Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Discovery date	19 August 1977
Designations
MPC designation	P/1977 Q1, P/1991 L1
Alternative designations	1978 IV, 1992 II 1977l, 1991o
Orbital characteristics[2][3][4]
Epoch	17 October 2024 (JD 2460600.5)
Observation arc	44.53 years
Number of observations	1,932
Aphelion	9.281 AU (A) 9.249 AU (B)
Perihelion	2.349 AU (A) 2.351 AU (B)
Semi-major axis	5.815 AU
Eccentricity	0.5962
Orbital period	14.02 years (A) 13.97 years (B)
Inclination	5.049°
Longitude of ascending node	116.14°
Argument of periapsis	277.93°
Mean anomaly	122.19°
Last perihelion	12 January 2020 (A) 31 January 2020 (B)[5]
Next perihelion	10 January 2034 (A) 21 February 2034 (B)[6]
TJupiter	2.584 (A) 2.588 (B)
Earth MOID	1.338 AU (A) 1.362 AU (B)
Jupiter MOID	0.158 AU (A) 0.095 AU (B)
Physical characteristics[3][4]
Dimensions	5.6 km (3.5 mi) (A)
Comet total magnitude (M1)	13.7 (A) 13.0 (B)

In April 1991, the comet was observed to split in two. Zdenek Sekanina, from JPL, concluded that the comet split at a distance of 3.3 AU (490 million km) from the Sun.^[9]

The primary nucleus is 5.6 km (3.5 mi) in diameter and was last observed in 2022.^[3] Fragment B has not been observed since 2006.^[4] As of epoch 2022, fragment B takes 21 days longer to orbit the Sun.^[10]

Difference in perihelion date for fragment A+B

Year	Horizons difference
2005	1 day
2020	18 days
2034	43 days

See also

• 74P/Smirnova–Chernykh