C/1997 L1 (Zhu–Balam)
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Zhu Jin David D. Balam |
| Discovery site | Beijing, China Victoria, Australia |
| Discovery date | 3–8 June 1997 |
| Designations | |
| Comet Xinglong | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 22 August 1997 (JD 2450682.5) |
| Observation arc | 453 days (1.24 years) |
| Number of observations | 213 |
| Aphelion | ~4,800 AU |
| Perihelion | 4.899 AU |
| Semi-major axis | ~2,420 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99797 |
| Orbital period | ~118,900 years |
| Inclination | 72.991° |
| 233.30° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 346.37° |
| Mean anomaly | 0.002° |
| Last perihelion | 22 November 1996 |
| TJupiter | 0.805 |
| Earth MOID | 3.9127 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.4171 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 6.5 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 8.5 |
Comet Zhu–Balam, formally designated C/1997 L1, is a non-periodic comet first identified by David D. Balam on 8 June 1997, and originally photographed by Zhu Jin on 3 June 1997. The comet is estimated at 10 kilometres in diameter, with a period of approximately 36,895 years.
Until 1998, the comet was formerly known as Comet Xinglong, until the International Astronomical Union (IAU) agreed to rename it Zhu–Balam after its first two discoverers.