333P/LINEAR

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333P/LINEAR
333P 2016-02-21 NEOWISE image 3-color.png
Comet 333P/LINEAR photographed by NEOWISE on 21 February 2016
Discovery [1]
Discovery site LINEAR
Discovery date4 November 2007
Designations
P/2007 VA85
Orbital characteristics [2] [3]
Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
Observation arc 17.87 years
Number of
observations		1,340
Aphelion 7.329 AU
Perihelion 1.113 AU
Semi-major axis 4.222 AU
Eccentricity 0.73629
Orbital period 8.674 years
Inclination 132.02°
115.71°
Argument of
periapsis 		26.033°
Mean anomaly 40.531°
Last perihelion29 November 2024
Next perihelion2033-Aug-01 [4]
TJupiter 0.418
Earth MOID 0.176 AU
Jupiter MOID 0.364 AU
Physical characteristics [5]
Mean radius
3.04 km (1.89 mi)
21.04 hours [6]
(V–R) = 0.44±0.01
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		15.0
10.7
(2024 apparition)

333P/LINEAR is a Jupiter-family comet in an 8.7-year retrograde orbit around the Sun. Upon discovery, it was the object with the shortest known retrograde orbit. The comet was discovered by LINEAR on 4 November 2007. [1]

Contents

Observational history

When discovered on 4 November 2007, the comet had an apparent magnitude of 18.5–19 and was asteroidal in appearance. It was given the provisional designation 2007 VA85. [1] During the next apparition, it was recovered by the iTelescope Observatory, in Siding Spring, Australia, on 18 November 2015, when it had an apparent magnitude of around 20, and on 1 January 2016 by the SONEAR observatory. [7] A small tail was observed and thus it was recategorised as a comet. [8] It brightened rapidly and reached a magnitude of 12.6 on 28 March 2016. [9] During the 2024 apparition, the comet approached Earth at a distance of 0.55 AU (82 million km) and brightened up to a magnitude of 10.7 in early December. [10]

Orbit

The comet on 30 November 2024, featuring a green coma and a short tail. 333P 2024-11-30.jpg
The comet on 30 November 2024, featuring a green coma and a short tail.

When discovered, the comet was the first object with retrograde orbit within Jupiter's orbit. It was categorised as an Amor asteroid and was briefly considered potentially hazardous to Earth. [11] Simulations indicated it was a comet nucleus that was possibly put into its current orbit after an interaction with Jupiter and in the future it will collide with the Sun or migrate beyond the orbit of Jupiter. [12] The cometary activity has been found to play a role in the orbital evolution of the comet. [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 D. W. Green (10 November 2007). "2007 VA85". IAU Circular. 8894 (2). Bibcode:2007IAUC.8894....2G.
  2. ↑ "333P/LINEAR – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "333P/LINEAR Orbit". Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 333P/LINEAR (90001313) on 2033-Aug-01" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons . Retrieved 16 October 2025. (JPL#64, Soln.date: 2025-Sep-22)
  5. ↑ M. M. Knight; R. Kokotanekova; N. H. Samarasinha (2023). "Physical and Surface Properties of Comet Nuclei from Remote Observations". arXiv: 2304.09309 [astro-ph.EP].
  6. ↑ M. Hicks; B. Thackeray (2016). "Spin Rate of Comet 333P/LINEAR (2007 VA85)". The Astronomer's Telegram. 8905: 1. Bibcode:2016ATel.8905....1H.
  7. ↑ Linder, T.; Holmes, R.; Lister, T.; Greenstreet, S.; Gomez, E.; Sato, H.; Bryssinck, E.; Maury, A.; Soulier, J. -F.; Jacques, C.; Pimentel, E.; Barros, J.; Williams, G. V. (10 January 2016). "Comet P/2007 VA85 (linear)". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. 2016-A101. Bibcode:2016MPEC....A..101L. ISSN   1523-6714.
  8. ↑ P. Kankiewicz; I. Włodarczyk (2021). "Impact of non-gravitational effects on chaotic properties of retrograde orbits". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 646: A182. arXiv: 2101.04364 . Bibcode:2021A&A...646A.182K. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202037738 .
  9. ↑ Yoshida, Seiichi. "Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2016 Apr. 2: North)". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  10. ↑ Yoshida, Seiichi. "Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2024 Dec. 21: North)". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  11. ↑ P. Kankiewicz; I. Włodarczyk (June 2010). A. M. Finkelstein; W. F. Huebner; V. A. Shor (eds.). The Orbital Evolution of 2007 VA85, an Amor-type Asteroid on a Retrograde Orbit (PDF). Protecting the Earth Against Collisions with Asteroids and Comet Nuclei. St. Petersburg, Russia. pp. 268–271. Bibcode:2010peca.conf..268K.
  12. ↑ S. Greenstreet; B. Gladman; H. Ngo; M. Granvik; S. M. Larson (2012). "Production of Near-Earth Asteroids on Retrograde Orbits". The Astrophysical Journal. 749 (2): L39. Bibcode:2012ApJ...749L..39G. doi: 10.1088/2041-8205/749/2/L39 .
  13. ↑ Kankiewicz, Paweł; Włodarczyk, Ireneusz (1 August 2018). "Non-gravitational effects in the motion of comet 333P/LINEAR" (PDF). Proceedings of the Polish Astronomical Society. 7: 132–134. Bibcode:2018pas7.conf..132K.
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