60558 Echeclus
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spacewatch |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak Obs. |
| Discovery date | 3 March 2000 |
| Designations | |
| Pronunciation | /ᵻˈkɛkləs/ e-KEK-ləs or /ˈɛkᵻkləs/ EK-i-kləs |
| 2000 EC98, 2002 GJ27 | |
| Centaur | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 13264 days (36.31 yr) |
| Aphelion | 15.544 AU (2.3253 Tm) |
| Perihelion | 5.8168 AU (870.18 Gm) |
| 10.680 AU (1.5977 Tm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.45537 |
| 34.90 yr (12749 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 8.58 km/s |
| 7.51102° | |
| 0° 1m 41.657s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.3445° |
| 173.335° | |
| 162.889° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.838867 AU (125.4927 Gm) |
| Jupiter Tisserand parameter | 3.031 |
| Proper orbital elements | |
Proper mean motion | 0.0282 deg / yr |
Proper orbital period |
12765.95745 yr (4662765.957 d) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 84 km[2][3] |
| 26.802 h (1.1168 d)[1] | |
| 0.04[3] | |
| Temperature | ~85 K |
| ~18.8[4] | |
| 9.6[1] | |
|
| |
60558 Echeclus (e-KEK-ləs or EK-i-kləs) is a centaur in the outer Solar System. It was discovered by Spacewatch in 2000 and initially classified as a minor planet with provisional designation 2000 EC98 (also written 2000 EC98). Research in 2001 by Rousselot and Petit at the Besançon observatory in France showed no evidence of cometary activity, but in late December 2005 a cometary coma was detected. In early 2006[5] the Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature (CSBN) gave it the cometary designation 174P/Echeclus. It next comes to perihelion in April 2015,[1] and is expected to reach about apparent magnitude 16.7 near opposition in September 2015.[6]
Name
Echeclus (Greek: Έχεκλος) is a centaur in Greek mythology.
60558 Echeclus is only the second comet (after Chiron) that was named as a minor planet, rather than after the name of its discoverer. Chiron is also a centaur; other centaurs are being observed for signs of a cometary coma.
Besides Chiron, three other objects are cross-listed as both comets and minor planets: 7968 Elst–Pizarro (133P/Elst–Pizarro), 4015 Wilson–Harrington (107P/Wilson–Harrington), and 118401 LINEAR (176P/LINEAR).[7]
Chunk
On 30 December 2005, when 13.1 AU from the Sun, a large chunk of Echeclus was observed to break off, causing a great cloud of dust. Astronomers have speculated this could have been caused by an impact or by an explosive release of volatile substances.[8]
2011 outburst
Echeclus appears to have outburst again around June 2011 when it was 8.5 AU from the Sun.[9][10] On 24 June 2011, follow up imaging with the 2 meter Haleakala-Faulkes Telescope South showed the coma of Echeclus to be very close to the sky background limit.[11]
Orbit
Echeclus came to perihelion in April 2015.[1]
Centaurs have short dynamical lives due to strong interactions with the giant planets. Echeclus is estimated to have an orbital half-life of about 610,000 years.[12]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "60558 Echeclus (2000 EC98)". JPL Small-Body Database. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SPK-ID: 2060558. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Wm. Robert Johnston (22 August 2008). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
- 1 2 John Stansberry; Will Grundy; Mike Brown; Dale Cruikshank; John Spencer; David Trilling; Jean-Luc Margot (2007). "Physical Properties of Kuiper Belt and Centaur Objects: Constraints from Spitzer Space Telescope". arXiv:astro-ph/0702538
[astro-ph]. - ↑ "AstDys (60558) Echeclus Ephemerides". Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ↑ "Homepage of the VdS-Fachgruppe Kometen". Archived from the original on 24 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-18.
- ↑ "Elements and Ephemeris for 174P/Echeclus". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2014-10-31. (0174P)
- ↑ Dual-Status Objects
- ↑ Hecht, Jeff (11 April 2006). "Hybrid comet-asteroid in mysterious break-up". NewScientist.com news service. Retrieved 2006-04-18.
- ↑ Giovanni Sostero & Ernesto Guido (June 1, 2011). "Outburst of 174P/Echeclus". Team of observers of Remanzacco Observatory in Italy. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- ↑ Giovanni Sostero & Ernesto Guido (June 9, 2011). "Follow-up of 174P/Echeclus bright phase". Team of observers of Remanzacco Observatory in Italy. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
- ↑ Nick Howes; Giovanni Sostero & Ernesto Guido (June 24, 2011). "Further follow-up of 174P/Echeclus". Team of observers of Remanzacco Observatory in Italy. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
- ↑ Horner, J.; Evans, N.W.; Bailey, M. E. (2004). "Simulations of the Population of Centaurs I: The Bulk Statistics". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 354 (3): 798. arXiv:astro-ph/0407400. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.354..798H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08240.x.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Ephemeris
- Elements and Ephemeris for 174P/Echeclus (IAU Minor Planet Center)
- BAA Comet Section : Comets discovered in 2006
- 60558 - 0174P/ Echeclus (2011 June 8)
- Comet 174P Echeclus chased by Asteroid 2716 Tuulikki (Animation by Joseph Brimacombe on 30 May 2011)
- Comet 174P/ Echeclus during its 2016 outburst (Virtual Telescope Project)
- 60558 Echeclus at the JPL Small-Body Database
| Numbered comets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 173P/Mueller |
174P/Echeclus | Next 175P/Hergenrother |