136P/Mueller

For other comets of the same name, see Comet Mueller.
136P/Mueller
Discovery[1]
Discovered byJean Mueller
Discovery sitePalomar Observatory
Discovery date24 September 1990
Designations
P/1990 S1
P/1998 K4
  • 1990 XIII, 1990l
  • Mueller 3
Orbital characteristics[3][4]
Epoch5 May 2025 (JD 2460800.5)
Observation arc34.27 years
Earliest precovery date17 September 1990[2]
Number of
observations		712
Aphelion5.415 AU
Perihelion2.963 AU
Semi-major axis4.189 AU
Eccentricity0.29313
Orbital period8.562 years
Inclination9.427°
137.42°
Argument of
periapsis		225.31°
Mean anomaly13.998°
Last perihelion3 January 2025
TJupiter2.934
Earth MOID1.986 AU
Jupiter MOID0.264 AU
Physical characteristics[5]
Mean radius
1.15 km (0.71 mi)
0.04 (assumed)
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		7.4
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		14.3

136P/Mueller, also known as Mueller 3, is a periodic comet in the Solar System.

Observational history

Jean Mueller discovered the comet on exposed photographic plates taken by the Palomar Observatory on the night of 24 September 1990.[1] At the time, it was a diffuse 18th-magnitude object in the constellation Cetus.[a] Within a couple of days after discovery, Harold Holt found precovery images taken as early as 17 September.[2] Orbital calculations by Edward L. G. Bowell and Daniel W. E. Green later indicated that Mueller's new find is a periodic comet.[7]

James V. Scotti later successfully recovered the comet in 24 May 1998.[8]

Physical characteristics

Assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04, the comet's nucleus is estimated to have an effective radius of 1.2 ± 0.2 km (0.75 ± 0.12 mi).[9]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Reported initial position upon discovery was: α = 1h 38.8m , δ = –2° 13′[6]

Citations

  1. ^ a b J. Mueller; C. Brewer; J. D. Mendenhall (26 September 1990). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet Mueller (1990l)". IAU Circular. 5102 (1).
  2. ^ a b E. Bowell; H. E. Holt; H. R. Holt; C. M. Olmstead; J. A. Brown (28 September 1990). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet Mueller (1990l)". IAU Circular. 5105 (1). Bibcode:1990IAUC.5105....1B.
  3. ^ "136P/Mueller – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  4. ^ "136P/Mueller Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  5. ^ C. Snodgrass; A. Fitzsimmons; S. C. Lowry; P. Weissman (2011). "The size distribution of Jupiter Family comet nuclei" (PDF). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 414 (1): 458–469. arXiv:1101.4228. Bibcode:2011MNRAS.414..458S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18406.x.
  6. ^ G. W. Kronk; M. Meyer; D. A. J. Seargent (2017). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 6: 1983–1993. Cambridge University Press. pp. 532–534. ISBN 978-0-521-87216-4.
  7. ^ D. W. Green (30 October 1990). "Periodic Comet Mueller (1990l)". IAU Circular. 5126 (2). Bibcode:1990IAUC.5126....2G.
  8. ^ J. V. Scotti; S. Nakano (26 May 1998). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet P/1998 K4 (Mueller 3)". IAU Circular. 6919 (1). Bibcode:1998IAUC.6919....1S.
  9. ^ E. M. Epifani; P. Palumbo; M. T. Capria; et al. (2008). "The distant activity of Short Period Comets II" (PDF). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 390 (1): 265–280. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.390..265M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13718.x.


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