94P/Russell

{{Short description|Periodic comet with 6 year orbit}}

{{Infobox comet

| name=94P/Russell 4

| image = 240px

| caption = 94P (apmag ~17; 2.2AU from the Sun)

| discoverer=K. S. Russel

| discovery_date=March 7, 1984

| designations=1984 I;1990 XI

| epoch=October 1, 2009

| semimajor=3.517 AU (a)

| perihelion=2.240 AU (q)

| aphelion=4.793 AU (Q)

| eccentricity=0.3630

| period=6.60 yr

| inclination=6.182°

| last_p=2023-May-21
October 27, 2016
March 29, 2010
August 29, 2003

| next_p=2029-Dec-17

}}

94P/Russell 4 is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It fits the definition of an Encke-type comet with (TJupiter > 3; a < aJupiter). It was discovered by Ken Rusell on photographic plates taken by M. Hawkins on March 7, 1984. In the discovery images, Russell estimated that the comet had an apparent magnitude of 13 and a noticeable tail of 5 arc minutes. In the year of discovery, the comet had come to perihelion in January 1984.

With an aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun) of 4.7 AU, comet 94P currently has an orbit contained completely inside of the orbit of Jupiter.

In July 1995, 94P was estimated to have a radius of about 2.6 km with an absolute magnitude (H) of 15.1. It may have a very elongated nucleus with an axial ratio of a/b >= 3.

References

{{reflist|refs =

{{cite web

|type=last observation: 2009-12-25

|title=JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 94P/Russell 4

|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=94P

|publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory

|access-date=2010-02-19}}

{{cite web

|title=94P/Russell Orbit

|url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=94P

|publisher=Minor Planet Center

|access-date=2014-06-17}}

{{cite web

|date=2008-10-25

|title=94P/Russell 4

|publisher=Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog

|author=Seiichi Yoshida

|url=http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0094P/index.html

|access-date=2010-02-19}}

{{cite web

|first=Gary W |last=Kronk |author-link=Gary W. Kronk

|title=94P/Russell 4

|url=http://cometography.com/pcomets/094p.html

|access-date=2010-02-19}} ([http://cometography.com Cometography Home Page])

{{cite journal

|last1=Snodgrass |first1=Colin

|last2=Lowry |first2=Stephen C.

|last3=Fitzsimmons |first3=Alan

|title=Optical observations of 23 distant Jupiter Family Comets, including 36P/Whipple at multiple phase angles

|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

|volume=385 |issue=2 |pages=737–756 |year=2007

|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.12900.x

|doi-access=free

|arxiv=0712.4204

|bibcode=2008MNRAS.385..737S|s2cid=55536237

}}

{{cite web

|title=Horizons Batch for 94P/Russell 4 (90000915) on 2029-Dec-17

|publisher=JPL Horizons

|type=Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive

|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/api/horizons.api?format=text&COMMAND=%27DES%3D94P%3BCAP%27&START_TIME=%272029-Dec-15%27&STOP_TIME=%272029-Dec-19%27&STEP_SIZE=%273%20hours%27&QUANTITIES=%2719%27

|accessdate=2023-04-29}} (JPL#74/Soln.date: 2023-Jul-05)

}}