C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS)
Comet PanSTARRS photographed from the Mount Lemmon Observatory on 16 January 2018 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS |
| Discovery site | Haleakalā Observatory |
| Discovery date | 30 August 2016 |
| Designations | |
| CK16R020 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 29 May 2018 (JD 2458267.5) |
| Observation arc | 1,762 days (4.82 years) |
| Number of observations | 4,319 |
| Aphelion | ~1,410 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.602 AU |
| Semi-major axis | ~705 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99631 |
| Orbital period | ~18,700 years |
| Inclination | 58.224° |
| 80.569° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 33.192° |
| Mean anomaly | 0.001° |
| Last perihelion | 9 May 2018 |
| TJupiter | 1.060 |
| Earth MOID | 1.720 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.117 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | ~38.0 km (23.6 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 7.3 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 11.2 |
| 9.8 (2018 apparition) | |
C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS) is a comet, discovered using the Pan-STARRS telescopes on September 7, 2016. The comet attracted attention from many astronomers as it approached its closest point to the Sun in May 2018. It has been observed to have a very complex tail, which has been suggested to be due to a fast rotation period of the nucleus.
The comet orbits the Sun on a 20,000 year orbit, which takes it out about 740 AU. It was found to differ from typical comets, and was found to be rich in carbon monoxide (CO) but depleted in hydrogen cyanide (HCN), resulting in a blue coma. The blue color is thought to come from the rich amounts of carbon monoxide being ionized. The comet was also noted to be rich in nitrogen.
The comet was observed by a submillimeter wavelength telescope in the late 2010s.
The comet made its closest approach to the Sun in May 2018, and its blue, teal, and dust tail were noted as an astronomical target. Blue comets are a less common type of comet.