Comet C/2019 U5 (PanSTARRS), formerly known by its provisional designation A/2019 U5, is a distant non-periodic comet moving in a retrograde trajectory around the Sun. It is one of several comets discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey.
Observational history When it was first discovered in October 2019, it was presumed to be a hyperbolic asteroid. Later observations from September 2020 revealed that weak cometary activity was detected and increasing as it went closer to the Sun. Further observations of a persistent coma seen from Hawaii, Japan, and other European nations confirmed its nature as a comet.
Physical characteristics Optical photometry obtained from the Sanglokh Observatory (193) between May and September 2022 reveal an absolute magnitude of , with color indices suggesting a quasi-steady activity within its coma. Morphological observations while it was from the Sun also show no signs of jet-like or other structural features within the coma. The comet's nucleus is estimated to be about in diameter.
Orbit Barycentric osculating parameters from HORIZONS show that C/2019 U5 is a dynamically new comet from the Oort cloud. It reached perihelion on 29 March 2023 at a distance of from the Sun. The comet is expected to leave the Solar System on its outbound trajectory.
References
External links
C/2019 U5 at Seiichi Yoshida's website