CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
EN/FR
Search
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS)

hyperbolic comet

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ20097998 ↗
Source-derived summary

C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic comet observed through telescopes between October 2013 and January 2018. It is one of many comets discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey.

Physical characteristics

Nucleus size

Its nucleus has an estimated effective diameter of 5.4 km (3.4 mi).

Rotation period

Photometric observations conducted in 2016 initially indicated that the comet has a rotation period of 11.95±0.36 hours. Revised geometric models in 2024 revealed that the comet has a longer rotation period of 24.02±0.2 hours.

Chemical composition

Ground observations conducted at the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO) detected emissions of carbon atoms (C2, C3), cyanogens (CN), and amides (NH2) within the coma.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS)” is hyperbolic comet. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through PanSTARRS, hyperbolic and comet, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2013, 2018, 2016, 2024—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, PanSTARRS, hyperbolic and comet is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “hyperbolic comet” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q20097998. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2013, 2018, 2016 and 2024.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS) primary sources, C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS) archive and PanSTARRS research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS)”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.