94P (apmag ~17; 2.2AU from the Sun) |
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Russell, Kenneth S[1] |
| Discovery date: | March 7, 1984 |
| Alternate designations: | 1984 I;1990 XI |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch: | October 1, 2009 |
| Aphelion: | 4.793 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion: | 2.240 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis: | 3.517 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity: | 0.3630 |
| Orbital period: | 6.60 yr |
| Inclination: | 6.182° |
| Last perihelion: | March 29, 2010[1][2] August 29, 2003[2] |
| Next perihelion: | October 27, 2016[3] |
94P/Russell 4 is a periodic comet in the solar system. It was discovered by Kenneth S. Rusell[1] on photographic plates taken by M. Hawkins on March 7, 1984.[4] In the discovery images, Russell estimated that the comet had an apparent magnitude of 13 and a noticeable tail of 5 arc minutes.[4] In the year of discovery, the comet had come to perihelion in January 1984.[2]
With an aphelion (furthest distane from the Sun) of 4.7 AU,[1] 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.[5] It may have a very elongated nucleus with an axial ratio of a/b >= 3.[5]
| Periodic comets (by number) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 93P/Lovas 1 |
94P/Russell | Next 95P/Chiron |