C/2014 OG₃₉₂ (PanSTARRS)

C/2014 OG₃₉₂ (PanSTARRS) is a comet discovered as a centaur on 28 July 2014 when it was 11.5 AU (1.72 billion km) from the Sun and had an apparent magnitude of 21.[2] The comet was relatively easier to detect at this distance because the nucleus is estimated to be 20 km in diameter.[3]

C/2014 OG₃₉₂ (PanSTARRS)

C/2014 OG392 with its coma imaged by the Lowell Discovery Telescope on 14 October 2020
Discovery
Discovered by	Pan-STARRS
Discovery date	28 July 2014
Orbital characteristics
Epoch	2020-12-17 (2459200.5)
Orbit type	Centaur / Chiron-type
Aphelion	14.463 AU
Perihelion	9.9697 AU (near Saturn's distance)
Semi-major axis	12.216 AU
Eccentricity	0.18389
Orbital period	42.7 yr
Inclination	9.0333°
Last perihelion	29 July 1979[1]
Next perihelion	29 November 2021[1]
TJupiter	3.4
Earth MOID	8.99 AU (1.345 billion km)
Jupiter MOID	5.08 AU (760 million km)
Physical characteristics

DECam images from 2017 of the comet at 10.6 AU (1.59 billion km) from the Sun showed activity likely produced by carbon dioxide (CO₂) and/or ammonia (NH₃) sublimation (off-gassing).[3]

Clones of the orbit of C/2014 OG₃₉₂ estimate a dynamic lifetime (amount of time in the current orbit) of 13 thousand to a million years.[3]

Perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) takes place not far from Saturn's orbit with a Saturn minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.9 AU (130 million km);[4] for example on 29 September 2231 at about 0.934 AU (139.7 million km) ±1 million km from Saturn.[5]

C/2014 OG₃₉₂ will come to opposition on 1 November 2021 in the constellation of Cetus when it will have a solar elongation of 170 degrees. Numerical integration shows the comet last came to perihelion in late July 1979 and will next come to perihelion on 29 November 2021.[1]