C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
| Parameter |
Value |
| Designation |
C/2006 W3 (Christensen) |
| Type |
C |
| Perihelion (tp_cal, UTC) |
2009-07-06T15:35:19.720320Z |
| Orbit solution date (soln_date, UTC) |
2021-04-15T23:31:02Z |
| Obs used |
5639 |
| NEO |
- |
| M1 |
8.200 |
| K1 |
5.500 |
| PC |
- |
Osculating Elements
| Parameter |
Value |
| Epoch (epoch_cal, TDB) |
2009-03-11.0000000 |
| e |
0.99982443 |
| q (au) |
3.126233 |
| a (au) |
17806.222961 |
| i (deg) |
127.074694 |
| Ω (om, deg) |
113.570597 |
| ω (w, deg) |
133.514480 |
| M (ma, deg) |
359.999951 |
Magnitude
Scatter + Global Linear
$$
M_a = (6.021 + 3.690\cdot 2.5\log_{10} r) + \epsilon - 2.5\log_{10}\Phi(\theta) + 5\log_{10}\Delta
$$
$$
\theta = 180^\circ - \alpha
$$
$$
\Phi(\theta) = \frac{\delta_{90} D(\theta) + 1}{\delta_{90} + 1},\quad D(\theta) = k\cdot \Phi_{HG}(\theta; g_f) + (1-k)\cdot \Phi_{HG}(\theta; g_b)
$$
$$
\Phi_{HG}(\theta; g) = \left(\frac{1+g^2}{1+g^2-2g\cos\theta}\right)^{3/2},\quad \Phi_{HG}(90^\circ)=1
$$
Model Parameters
| Parameter |
Value |
| H0 |
6.021 |
| n |
3.690 |
| gf |
1.000 |
| gb |
-0.517 |
| k |
0.800 |
| δ90 |
10.000 |
| Parameter |
Symbol |
Range |
Description |
| Absolute magnitude at 1 AU from Sun and Earth |
H0 |
-5 to 20 |
Intrinsic brightness of the comet |
| Photometric slope parameter |
n |
2 to 6 |
Rate of brightness change with heliocentric distance |
| Forward scattering asymmetry factor |
gf |
0.8 to 1 |
Degree of forward scattering |
| Backward scattering asymmetry factor |
gb |
-1 to -0.5 |
Degree of backward scattering |
| Partitioning coefficient |
k |
0.8 to 1 |
Ratio between forward/backward scattering contributions |
| Dust-to-gas brightness ratio |
δ90 |
1 to 10 |
Relative contribution of dust scattering to gas emission |
Reference: EPSC-DPS2025-160
Residuals (Piecewise)
$$\epsilon = a \log_{10} r_{\mathrm{au}} + b$$
| Start (UTC) |
End (UTC) |
a |
b |
| 2006-10-29 |
2009-07-06 |
+3.5696 |
-2.737 |
| 2009-07-06 |
2011-09-24 |
+0.7560 |
-1.044 |
log10 r = log10(heliocentric distance / AU), Δ = geocentric distance (AU)
Ephemeris
| Date/Time (UTC) |
RA (J2000) |
Dec (J2000) |
Nearest HIP |
Dist from HIP (arcmin) |
| 2026-02-03 00:00 |
10:46:31.74 |
-51:41:52.6 |
HIP 52753 |
17.53 |
| 2026-02-03 12:00 |
10:46:26.63 |
-51:42:00.9 |
HIP 52753 |
17.69 |
| 2026-02-04 00:00 |
10:46:21.51 |
-51:42:08.7 |
HIP 52753 |
17.89 |
| 2026-02-04 12:00 |
10:46:16.36 |
-51:42:16.2 |
HIP 52549 |
18.07 |
| 2026-02-05 00:00 |
10:46:11.19 |
-51:42:23.2 |
HIP 52549 |
17.47 |
| 2026-02-05 12:00 |
10:46:06.00 |
-51:42:29.8 |
HIP 52549 |
16.88 |
| 2026-02-06 00:00 |
10:46:00.79 |
-51:42:36.0 |
HIP 52549 |
16.31 |
| 2026-02-06 12:00 |
10:45:55.56 |
-51:42:41.8 |
HIP 52549 |
15.75 |
| 2026-02-07 00:00 |
10:45:50.31 |
-51:42:47.2 |
HIP 52549 |
15.20 |
| 2026-02-07 12:00 |
10:45:45.04 |
-51:42:52.1 |
HIP 52549 |
14.68 |
| 2026-02-08 00:00 |
10:45:39.75 |
-51:42:56.6 |
HIP 52549 |
14.17 |
| 2026-02-08 12:00 |
10:45:34.45 |
-51:43:00.7 |
HIP 52549 |
13.69 |
| 2026-02-09 00:00 |
10:45:29.13 |
-51:43:04.4 |
HIP 52549 |
13.24 |
| 2026-02-09 12:00 |
10:45:23.79 |
-51:43:07.6 |
HIP 52549 |
12.82 |
| 2026-02-10 00:00 |
10:45:18.43 |
-51:43:10.4 |
HIP 52549 |
12.43 |
| 2026-02-10 12:00 |
10:45:13.06 |
-51:43:12.8 |
HIP 52549 |
12.07 |
| 2026-02-11 00:00 |
10:45:07.67 |
-51:43:14.7 |
HIP 52549 |
11.76 |
| 2026-02-11 12:00 |
10:45:02.27 |
-51:43:16.3 |
HIP 52549 |
11.50 |
| 2026-02-12 00:00 |
10:44:56.85 |
-51:43:17.4 |
HIP 52549 |
11.28 |
| 2026-02-12 12:00 |
10:44:51.42 |
-51:43:18.0 |
HIP 52549 |
11.11 |
| 2026-02-13 00:00 |
10:44:45.97 |
-51:43:18.3 |
HIP 52549 |
11.00 |
| 2026-02-13 12:00 |
10:44:40.51 |
-51:43:18.1 |
HIP 52549 |
10.95 |
| 2026-02-14 00:00 |
10:44:35.04 |
-51:43:17.4 |
HIP 52549 |
10.95 |
| 2026-02-14 12:00 |
10:44:29.55 |
-51:43:16.4 |
HIP 52549 |
11.02 |
| 2026-02-15 00:00 |
10:44:24.06 |
-51:43:14.9 |
HIP 52549 |
11.14 |
| 2026-02-15 12:00 |
10:44:18.55 |
-51:43:12.9 |
HIP 52549 |
11.32 |
| 2026-02-16 00:00 |
10:44:13.03 |
-51:43:10.6 |
HIP 52549 |
11.55 |
| 2026-02-16 12:00 |
10:44:07.50 |
-51:43:07.8 |
HIP 52549 |
11.84 |
| 2026-02-17 00:00 |
10:44:01.95 |
-51:43:04.5 |
HIP 52549 |
12.17 |
| 2026-02-17 12:00 |
10:43:56.40 |
-51:43:00.9 |
HIP 52549 |
12.55 |
| 2026-02-18 00:00 |
10:43:50.84 |
-51:42:56.8 |
HIP 52506 |
12.81 |
| 2026-02-18 12:00 |
10:43:45.27 |
-51:42:52.3 |
HIP 52506 |
13.11 |
| 2026-02-19 00:00 |
10:43:39.70 |
-51:42:47.3 |
HIP 52506 |
13.46 |
| 2026-02-19 12:00 |
10:43:34.11 |
-51:42:41.9 |
HIP 52506 |
13.86 |
| 2026-02-20 00:00 |
10:43:28.52 |
-51:42:36.1 |
HIP 52506 |
14.31 |
| 2026-02-20 12:00 |
10:43:22.92 |
-51:42:29.8 |
HIP 52506 |
14.81 |
| 2026-02-21 00:00 |
10:43:17.31 |
-51:42:23.1 |
HIP 52506 |
15.34 |
| 2026-02-21 12:00 |
10:43:11.70 |
-51:42:16.0 |
HIP 52506 |
15.92 |
| 2026-02-22 00:00 |
10:43:06.09 |
-51:42:08.4 |
HIP 52402 |
16.02 |
| 2026-02-22 12:00 |
10:43:00.46 |
-51:42:00.4 |
HIP 52402 |
15.93 |
| 2026-02-23 00:00 |
10:42:54.84 |
-51:41:52.0 |
HIP 52402 |
15.90 |
| 2026-02-23 12:00 |
10:42:49.21 |
-51:41:43.2 |
HIP 52402 |
15.93 |
| 2026-02-24 00:00 |
10:42:43.58 |
-51:41:33.9 |
HIP 52402 |
16.01 |