C/2019 U5 (PANSTARRS)

DEPARTED

Type: Hyperbolic Perihelion date: 30 March 2023 Perihelion distance (q): 3.6 Aphelion distance (Q) : n/a Period (years): n/a Eccentricity (e): 1.00 Inclination (i): 113.5 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve PanSTARRS 1 discovered a 21st magnitude object in images taken with the 1.8m Ritchey-Chretien on 22 October 2019. The object, preliminary classified as a Parabolic Asteroid by JPL, has a retrograde orbit. No cometary activity was detected at discovery, but it was still over 10 au from the Sun, and might develop cometary features when it was closer, so was given an A/ designation. It duly developed a coma, first noted in February 2021. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 30-Mar-22 14.2 0.8 08-Apr-22 15.17 0.02 14.1 0.8 26-Apr-22 15.26 0.01 15.4 0.4 06-May-22 15.05 0.04 14.1 0.8 20-May-22 15.14 0.01 14.2 0.9 28-May-22 15.10 0.01 14.3 0.8 04-Jun-22 15.00 0.05 19-Jun-22 12.46 0.02 14.2 0.8 28-Jun-22 13.6 0.8 17-Jul-22 15.05 0.04 14.2 0.8 19-Aug-22 15.2 0.4 02-Feb-23 14.50 0.01 13.1 1.1 19-Feb-23 12.6 2.3 27-Feb-23 14.47 0.01 13.0 1.3 14-Mar-23 13.96 0.03 12.0 2.4 27-Mar-23 13.89 0.04 12.1 1.7 13-Apr-23 14.11 0.02 12.5 1.5 24-Apr-23 13.4 1.1 24-Apr-23 13.1 1.5 07-May-23 13.3 1.1 15-May-23 13.3 1.5 22-May-23 13.7 0.9 08-Jun-23 14.0 0.8