C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)

For other comets of the same name, see Comet Garradd.
C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)
Photograph of Messier 3 (left) and C/2008 Q3 (Garradd) taken by WISE on 2 January 2010.[1]
Discovery[2]
Discovered byGordon J. Garradd
Discovery siteSiding Spring Observatory
Discovery date27 August 2008
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch27 August 2009 (JD 2455070.5)
Observation arc431 days (1.18 years)
Number of
observations		701
Aphelion~17,780 AU
Perihelion1.798 AU
Semi-major axis~8,900 AU
Eccentricity0.99979
Orbital period~840,000 years
Inclination140.71°
219.73°
Argument of
periapsis		340.86°
Mean anomaly0.0001°
Last perihelion23 June 2009
TJupiter–1.286
Earth MOID0.814 AU
Jupiter MOID2.561 AU
Physical characteristics[4]
Mean diameter
6.7 km (4.2 mi)
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		6.3
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		12.8

Comet Garradd, formally designated as C/2008 Q3, is a non-periodic comet that was observed from August 2008 to June 2010. It is the 11th out of 17 comets discovered by Australian astronomer, Gordon J. Garradd.

Physical characteristics

Infrared and spectroscopic observations by the Herschel Space Telescope determined that while the comet was around 1.83–1.85 AU (274–277 million km) from the Sun, its water production rate was measured at 1.7–2.8×1028/s-1.[5] Data obtained by Akari detected a relatively high CO/CO
2 ratio for such a dynamically new comet, which may be caused by an outburst event prior to being observed by the satellite itself.[6]

Its nucleus is estimated to have an effective diameter of 6.7 km (4.2 mi),[4] with a mass roughly about 1×1012 kg (2.2×1012 lb).[7]

References

  1. ^ "PIA12985: M3 & Comet Garradd". jpl.nasa.gov. NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  2. ^ G. J. Garradd; A. C. Gilmore; P. M. Kilmartin (28 August 2008). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)". IAU Circular. 8968 (1). Bibcode:2008IAUC.8968....1G.
  3. ^ "C/2008 Q3 (Garradd) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b O. H. Pinto; M. Womack; Y. R. Fernandez; J. Bauer (2022). "A Survey of CO, CO
    2    , and H
    2    O     in Comets and Centaurs"    . The Planetary Science Journal. 3 (11): 247–275. arXiv:2209.09985. Bibcode:2022PSJ.....3..247H. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac960d.
  5. ^ P. Hartogh; J. Crovisier; M. de Val-Borro; D. Bockelée-Morvan; N. Biver; et al. (2010). "HIFI observations of water in the atmosphere of comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics. 515: 150–155. arXiv:1005.2969. Bibcode:2010A&A...518L.150H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014665.
  6. ^ T. Ootsubo; H. Kawakita; S. Hamada; H. Kobayashi; M. Hamaguchi; et al. (2012). "AKARI Near-infrared Spectroscopic Survey for CO
    2     in 18 Comets"    . The Astrophysical Journal. 752 (1): 15–27. Bibcode:2012ApJ...752...15O. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/15.
  7. ^ S. Szutowicz; G. Sitarski; D. Bockelee-Morvan; J. Crovisier; et al. (20–24 September 2010). Non-Gravitational Effects and Activity of Comet C/2006 W3 (Christensen) and C/2008 Q3 (Garradd) (PDF). European Planetary Science Congress. Rome, Italy. Bibcode:2010epsc.conf..793S.
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