Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)
Non-periodic comet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Comet Erasmus, formally designated as C/2020 S3, is a non-periodic comet that became barely visible to the naked eye during the later months of 2020. Its maximum brightness peaked as a 3rd-magnitude object in the night sky, however its proximity to the Sun made it a difficult object to view from the ground.[5]
Remove ads
Discovery and observations
Summarize
Perspective
The comet was discovered as an 18.5-magnitude object from four 30-second exposure images taken on 17 September 2020 from the ATLAS–MLO observatory in Mauna Loa, Hawaii.[6] It was initially flagged as a potential near-Earth asteroid until Dr. Nicolas Erasmus analyzed the images and noticed a faint coma around it shortly before announcing the discovery.[6]
It was visible in predawn skies as it made its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 1.09 AU (163 million km) on 19 November 2020.[4] Around this time, the comet was located within the constellation Hydra.[7] The comet's linear polarization was measured between 13 and 23 November 2020, where astronomers have noted a similar performance as those seen from C/1989 X1 (Austin) and C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), with models suggesting a decrease in the abundance of Mg–rich silicate particles in the inner coma by 1/3, revealing a change in the emanations of dust particles from the comet's nucleus.[8]
It was predicted to reach a maximum brightness of magnitude 3.0–4.0 during its perihelion on 12 December 2020 at a distance of 0.4 AU (60 million km) from the Sun. However, the comet's position throughout December was too close to the Sun for ground observations, making it impossible to view at its brightest except from SOHO and STEREO-A.[5][9]
Several observers were able to capture it during the total solar eclipse on 14 December 2020.[10]
Remove ads
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads