C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) is a retrograde

Oort cloud The Oort cloud (), sometimes called the Öpik–Oort cloud, first described in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, is a theoretical concept of a cloud of predominantly icy planetesimals proposed to surround the Sun at distances ranging from ...

comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...

discovered on 12 November 2013 by Oukaimeden Observatory at an

apparent magnitude Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the brightness of a star or other astronomical object observed from Earth. An object's apparent magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance from Earth, and any extinction of the object's ...

of 19.4 using a

reflecting telescope A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...

. From 5 May 2014 until 18 July 2014 it had an elongation less than 30 degrees from the Sun. By late August 2014 it had brighten to

8 making it a small telescope and high-end binoculars target for experienced observers. It crossed the

celestial equator The celestial equator is the great circle of the imaginary celestial sphere on the same plane as the equator of Earth. This plane of reference bases the equatorial coordinate system. In other words, the celestial equator is an abstract proj ...

on 30 August 2014 becoming a southern hemisphere object. On 16 September 2014 the comet passed from Earth. The comet peaked around magnitude 6.2 in mid-September 2014 but only had an elongation of about 35 degrees from the Sun. On 20 September 2014 the comet was visible in STEREO HI-1B. The comet came to

perihelion An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any elli ...

(closest approach to the Sun) on 28 September 2014 at a distance of from the Sun. C/2013 V5 is dynamically new. It came from the

with a loosely bound chaotic orbit that was easily perturbed by

galactic tide A galactic tide is a tidal force experienced by objects subject to the gravitational field of a galaxy such as the Milky Way. Particular areas of interest concerning galactic tides include galactic collisions, the disruption of dwarf or satelli ...

s and passing stars. Before entering the planetary region (

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided by ...

1950), C/2013 V5 had an orbital period of several million years. After leaving the planetary region (epoch 2050), it will have an orbital period of about 6000 years. The

infrared spectroscopy Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) is the measurement of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter by absorption, emission, or reflection. It is used to study and identify chemical substances or function ...

of the comet revealed that most of its volatile ices, with the exception of

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...

are depleted. Spectrography also revealed that the relative abundance of

ethane Ethane ( , ) is an organic chemical compound with chemical formula . At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas. Like many hydrocarbons, ethane is isolated on an industrial scale from natural gas and as a petroc ...

and methanol increased in the start of September 2014, suggesting that the ices that comprise the comet are heterogenous.

Notes

References

External links

Activity level and perihelion distance
(Bortle survival limit Jakub Cerny 11 August 2014)
C/2013 V5 Oukaimeden wide-field
(Damian Peach 31 August 2014)
C/2013 V5 map for Aug 21 – Sept 5

Did we catch disintegration of comet Oukaimeden?
(FRAM)
(C/2013 V5 magnitude)
20131112 20140916 20131112 20140928 Oort cloud {{comet-stub