C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS)
C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) is a retrograde Oort cloud comet discovered at magnitude 19.7, 8.7 AU from the Sun on 17 May 2012 using the Pan-STARRS telescope located near the summit of Haleakalā, on the island of Maui in Hawaii (U.S.).
NEOWISE series of infrared images of C/2012 K1 on 20 May 2014 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS 1.8-m Ritchey–Chrétien (F51) |
| Discovery date | 17 May 2012 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 11 August 2014 |
| Orbit type | Oort cloud |
| Aphelion | ~52000 AU (inbound) ~14000 AU (outbound) |
| Perihelion | 1.0545 AU (q) |
| Eccentricity | 1.00021 |
| Orbital period | several million years inbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 1950) ~600000 yr outbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 2050) |
| Inclination | 142.43° |
| Last perihelion | 27 August 2014 |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.5 AU |
The comet started 2014 as a Northern Hemisphere object. By late April 2014 it had brightened to roughly apparent magnitude ~8.8 making it a small telescope/binoculars target for experienced observers. In June and July 2014 the comet was near the Sickle of Leo. As of 3 July 2014 the comet had brightened to magnitude 7.9.
From 12 July 2014 until 6 September 2014 it had an elongation less than 30 degrees from the Sun. The comet came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 27 August 2014 at a distance of 1.05 AU (157,000,000 km; 98,000,000 mi) from the Sun. It crosses the celestial equator on 15 September 2014 becoming a Southern Hemisphere object.
The comet peaked around magnitude 6.9 in mid-October 2014 when it had an elongation of around 75 degrees from the Sun. It is visible in binoculars and small telescopes.