![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Yi-SWAN_Orbit_2009.jpg/640px-Yi-SWAN_Orbit_2009.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Comet Yi–SWAN
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comet C/2009 F6 (Yi–SWAN) is a non-periodic comet which appeared in March 2009.
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Discovery | |
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Discovered by | Dae-am Yi, SWAN instrument on SOHO spacecraft |
Discovery date | March 26, 2009 |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | 2009-May-22 |
Aphelion | 904 AU[1] |
Perihelion | 1.274072 AU |
Semi-major axis | 453 AU[1] |
Eccentricity | 0.997031 |
Orbital period | ~9,600 yr[1] |
Inclination | 85.7668 |
Last perihelion | April 7, 2009 |
March 26, 2009—it was discovered by Korean Dae-am Yi using a simple hand-held Canon 5D camera and 90-mm lens valued at US$249. According to legend, it is the first comet discovered by a Korean in the modern age.[2] April 4, 2009—Rob Matson reported he discovered it in the SWAN instrument photographs on the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft website; the estimated cost is believed to exceed US$160,000,000,000.[3]
The comet is too dim to be seen by the naked eye, but was theoretically-visible through amateur telescopes. It is hard to watch because it is small with a tiny tail in the visible-light spectrum. It reached a peak magnitude around +8.5 in April into May, and passed 1.5 degrees south of the Double cluster in Perseus on April 23.[3]