 NEOWISE image 14 January 2018 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking |
| Discovery date | January 1, 1965 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 2024-01-11[1] (JD 2460320.5) |
| Aphelion | 5.472 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 1.265 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis | 3.369 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity | 0.6245 |
| Orbital period | 6.18 yr |
| Inclination | 10.50° |
| Last perihelion | 2017-Nov-16[1] 2011-Jun-30[2][3] (unobserved) |
| Next perihelion | 2023-Dec-25[1][4] |
| Perihelion distance at different epochs[5] | |||||||
| Epoch | Perihelion (AU) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2.45 | ||||||
| 1859 | 2.11 | ||||||
| 1882 | 2.04 | ||||||
| 1905 | 1.96 | ||||||
| 1965 | 1.49 | ||||||
| 2011 | 1.38 | ||||||
| 2023 | 1.26 | ||||||
| 2094 | 1.21 | ||||||
| 2106 | 1.15 | ||||||
62P/Tsuchinshan, also known as Tsuchinshan 1, is a periodic comet discovered on 1965 January 1 at Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking.[6] It will next come to perihelion on 25 December 2023 at around apparent magnitude 8,[2] and will be 0.53 AU (79 million km) from Earth and 110 degrees from the Sun.[4]
During the 2004 perihelion passage the comet brightened to about apparent magnitude 11.[7] The comet was not observed during the 2011 unfavorable apparition since the perihelion passage occurred when the comet was on the far side of the Sun. During the 2023 apparition it brightened to 8th magnitude.[8]
On 2049 April 1 the comet will pass about 0.016 AU (2,400,000 km; 1,500,000 mi) from Mars.[6]
| Date & time of closest approach |
Mars distance (AU) |
Sun distance (AU) |
Velocity wrt Mars (km/s) |
Velocity wrt Sun (km/s) |
Uncertainty region (3-sigma) |
Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2049-Apr-01 16:38 ± 14 minutes | 0.0157 AU (2.35 million km; 1.46 million mi; 6.1 LD) | 1.53 AU (229 million km; 142 million mi) | 12.0 | 30.0 | ± 11 thousand km | Horizons |
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