C/2020 M3 (ATLAS)
Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) photographed on 21 November 2020 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovery site | ATLAS–MLO (T08) |
| Discovery date | 27 June 2020 |
| Designations | |
| CK20M030 | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch | 26 November 2020 (JD 2459179.5) |
| Observation arc | 348 days |
| Number of observations | 2,344 |
| Aphelion | 52.367 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.268 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 26.817 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.95371 |
| Orbital period | 138.87 years |
| Inclination | 23.474° |
| 71.250° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 328.45° |
| Mean anomaly | 0.223° |
| Last perihelion | 25 October 2020 |
| Next perihelion | ~2159[2] |
| TJupiter | 1.460 |
| Earth MOID | 0.327 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.886 AU |
| Physical characteristics[3][4] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 14.6 |
| 6.9 (2020 apparition) | |
Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) is a Halley-type comet that passed within 0.358 AU (53.6 million km) from Earth on 14 November 2020.[5] It is one of many comets discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).
Observational history
The comet was first discovered on 27 June 2020 as an asteroid-like object by the 0.5 m (1.6 ft)-telescope at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii as part of the ATLAS survey.[1] Observations in August 2020 revealed that the comet was about 4–5 magnitudes brighter than predicted.[6]
By 8 November 2020, the comet was seen a few degrees east of the Horseshoe and Orion Nebulae.[7] It passed closest to Earth at a distance of 0.358 AU (53.6 million km) on 14 November.[5] By 25 November, the comet was passing through the constellation Taurus, near the Crab Nebula's position.[8]
Physical characteristics
Observations conducted by the TRAPPIST-North telescope at the Oukaïmeden Observatory in Morocco were used to determine the comet's dust production and chemical composition.[9] It was determined that the comet had a typical composition compared to other comets, without any depletion of carbon-chain elements from its coma.[10][11]
References
- ^ a b "MPEC 2020-N11: Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS)". Indian Institute of Astrophysics. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ a b "C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Observation list for C/2020 M3". COBS – Comet OBServation database. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ a b E. Irizarry (14 November 2020). "Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) is closest November 14". EarthSky.org. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ M. Mattiazzo. "C/2020 M3 (ATLAS)". Southern Comets Homepage. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ M. Armstrong (18 November 2020). "See Comet ATLAS in the Evening Sky". Astronomy Now. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ A. Potts (26 November 2020). "M3 the Comet meets M1 the Supernova Remnant (C/2020 M3 ATLAS on 25th Nov)". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ E. Jehin; Y. Moulane; J. Manfroid; F. Pozuelos; D. Hutsemekers (2020). "TRAPPIST comet production rates: 88/Howell, C/2020 M3 (ATLAS), C/2020 S3 (Erasmus), 156P/Russell-LINEAR". The Astronomer's Telegram. 14101. Bibcode:2020ATel14101....1J.
- ^ K. Aravind (2022). Observational analysis of Cometary bodies in the Solar System (PDF) (Thesis). Physical Research Laboratory.
- ^ S. Hmiddouch; Y. Moulane; M. Vander Donckt; E. Jehin; et al. (14 March 2022). "Composition and Activity of Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) with the TRAPPIST-North Telescope" (PDF). African Astronomical Society. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
External links
- C/2020 M3 at the JPL Small-Body Database