C/2019 K7 Smith
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Comet C/2019 K7 was discovered on 30 May 2019, more than one year before its perihelion passage. Later a few pre-discovery observations were found from 8 and 9 October 2017. This comet was observed until 4 April 2024 (as in February 2025).
Comet had its closest approach to the Earth on 16 July 2020 (3.65 au), a month after its perihelion passage.
The preferred NG solution given here span over 6.49 yr in a range of heliocentric distances: 8.64 au – 4.48 au (perihelion) – 10.95 au; orbits based on pre-perihelion and post-perihelion data independently are also presented.
This Oort spike comet suffers moderate planetary perturbations during its passage through the planetary system that lead to a more tight future orbit with semimajor axis of about 2,500 au (see future barycentric orbit).
Comet had its closest approach to the Earth on 16 July 2020 (3.65 au), a month after its perihelion passage.
The preferred NG solution given here span over 6.49 yr in a range of heliocentric distances: 8.64 au – 4.48 au (perihelion) – 10.95 au; orbits based on pre-perihelion and post-perihelion data independently are also presented.
This Oort spike comet suffers moderate planetary perturbations during its passage through the planetary system that lead to a more tight future orbit with semimajor axis of about 2,500 au (see future barycentric orbit).
solution description | ||
---|---|---|
number of observations | 631 | |
data interval | 2017 10 08 – 2020 06 17 | |
data arc selection | data generally limited to pre-perihelion (PRE) | |
range of heliocentric distances | 8.64 au – 4.48 au (perihelion) – 4.48 au | |
detectability of NG effects in the comet's motion | comet with determinable NG~orbit | |
type of model of motion | GR - gravitational orbit | |
data weighting | YES | |
number of residuals | 1246 | |
RMS [arcseconds] | 0.29 | |
orbit quality class | 1a+ |
previous orbit statistics, both Galactic and stellar perturbations were taken into account | ||
---|---|---|
no. of returning VCs in the swarm | 5001 | * |
no. of escaping VCs in the swarm | 0 | |
no. of hyperbolas among escaping VCs in the swarm | 0 | |
previous reciprocal semi-major axis [10-6 au-1] | 16.49 – 17.31 – 18.55 | |
previous perihelion distance [au] | 1400 – 3900 – 8700 | |
previous aphelion distance [103 au] | 106 – 111 – 113 | |
time interval to previous perihelion [Myr] | 13 – 14.1 – 14.6 | |
percentage of VCs with qprev > 20 | 100 |

Upper panel: Time distribution of positional observations with corresponding heliocentric (red curve) and geocentric (green curve) distance at which they were taken. The horizontal dotted line shows the perihelion distance for a given comet whereas vertical dotted line — the moment of perihelion passage.
Middle panel(s): O-C diagram for a given solution (sometimes in comparison to another solution available in CODE), where residuals in right ascension are shown using magenta dots and in declination by blue open circles.
Lowest panel: Relative weights for a given data set(s).
Middle panel(s): O-C diagram for a given solution (sometimes in comparison to another solution available in CODE), where residuals in right ascension are shown using magenta dots and in declination by blue open circles.
Lowest panel: Relative weights for a given data set(s).
previous_g orbit statistics, here only the Galactic tide has been included | ||
---|---|---|
no. of returning VCs in the swarm | 5001 | * |
no. of escaping VCs in the swarm | 0 | |
no. of hyperbolas among escaping VCs in the swarm | 0 | |
previous reciprocal semi-major axis [10-6 au-1] | 18.59 – 19.36 – 20.14 | |
previous perihelion distance [au] | 93 – 120 – 160 | |
previous aphelion distance [103 au] | 99.2 – 103 – 107 | |
time interval to previous perihelion [Myr] | 11.1 – 11.8 – 12.6 | |
percentage of VCs with qprev > 20 | 100 |