| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. S. Russel[1] |
| Discovery date | March 7, 1984 |
| Designations | |
| 1984 I;1990 XI | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 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 | October 27, 2016[2] March 29, 2010[1][3] August 29, 2003[3] |
| Next perihelion | 2023-May-21 (Horizons) |
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).[1] It was discovered by Ken 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.[3]
With an aphelion (furthest distance 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]
