C/2009 F6 (Yi–SWAN) is a non-periodic comet which first appeared in March 2009.
Discovery and observations On 4 April 2009, Robert D. Matson reported the discovery of a comet spotted from images taken by the SWAN instrument of the SOHO spacecraft. Around the same time, Hereupon H. Yamaoka of the University of Tokyo received an email from South Korean astronomer, Dae-am Yi, where he reported that he had discovered the comet nine days earlier on 26 March, at the time a 12th-magnitude object within the constellation Lacerta. The comet was too dim to be seen by the naked eye, though it was observed through small telescopes. It is hard to watch because it is small with a tiny tail in the visible-light spectrum. The comet reached a peak magnitude of 8.3 on 6 April, and passed 1.5 degrees south of the Double Cluster in Perseus on 23 April. Preliminary calculations of its orbit by Brian G. Marsden indicate the comet is traveling in a highly inclined parabolic orbit, tipped 85.7° to the plane of the ecliptic. It reached perihelion on 8 May, where it came as close as 1.27 AU (190 million km) from the Sun.
References
External links C/2009 F6 at the JPL Small-Body Database Comet C/2009 F6 Yi-SWAN – Heavens-Above