Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | LINEAR |
Discovery date | 4 November 2007 |
Designations | |
P/2007 VA85 | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | 2015-Jan-08 |
Observation arc | 9.73 years |
Aphelion | 7.332 AU |
Perihelion | 1.115 AU |
Semi-major axis | 4.224 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.7359 |
Orbital period | 8.68 years |
Inclination | 131.879° |
115.563° | |
Argument of periapsis | 26.143° |
Last perihelion | 3 April 2016 |
Next perihelion | 29 November 2024 [2] |
Earth MOID | 0.176 AU |
Physical characteristics | |
21 hours [3] | |
Comet total magnitude (M1) | 15.0 |
333P/LINEAR is a Jupiter family periodic comet in retrograde orbit with an orbital period of 8.7 years. Upon discovery it was the sun-orbiting natural object in retrograde orbit with the shortest known orbital period. The comet was discovered by LINEAR on 4 November 2007. [1]
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. [4] A small tail was observed and thus it was recategorised as a comet. [5] It brightened rapidly and reached a magnitude of 12.6 on 28 March 2016. [6] During the 2024 apparition the comet approached Earth at a distance of 0.55 AU and brightened up to a magnitude of 10.7 in early December. [7]
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. [8] 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. [9] The cometary activity has been found to play a role in the orbital evolution of the comet. [10]
Comet Giacobini–Zinner is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It was discovered by Michel Giacobini, who observed it in the constellation of Aquarius on December 20, 1900. It was recovered two orbits later by Ernst Zinner, while he was observing variable stars near Beta Scuti on October 23, 1913.
Comet 4P/Faye is a periodic Jupiter-family comet discovered in November 1843 by Hervé Faye at the Royal Observatory in Paris. Its most recent perihelia were on November 15, 2006; May 29, 2014; and September 8, 2021.
8P/Tuttle is a periodic comet with a 13.6-year orbit. It fits the classical definition of a Jupiter-family comet with an orbital period of less than 20 years, but does not fit the modern definition of. Its last perihelion passage was 27 August 2021 when it had a solar elongation of 26 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude 9. Two weeks later, on September 12, 2021, it was about 1.8 AU (270 million km) from Earth which is about as far from Earth as the comet can get when the comet is near perihelion.
10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with a 5-year orbital period. It was discovered on July 4, 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel. At the perihelion passage on 2 August 2026 the solar elongation is calculated at 164 degrees, with apparent magnitude approximately 8, with closest approach to Earth on 3 August 2026 at a distance of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km).
65P/Gunn is a periodic comet in the Solar System which has a current orbital period of 6.79 years. The comet is a short-period comet, orbiting the Sun every 6.79 years inside the main asteroid belt between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter.
6P/d'Arrest is a periodic Jupiter-family comet in the Solar System, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. It passed 0.15124 AU from the Earth on August 12, 1976. The most recent perihelion passage took place on September 17, 2021, when the comet had a solar elongation of 95 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude of 10.
Comet 96P/Machholz or 96P/Machholz 1 is a short-period sungrazing comet discovered on May 12, 1986, by amateur astronomer Donald Machholz on Loma Prieta peak, in central California using 130 millimetres (5.1 in) binoculars. On June 6, 1986, 96P/Machholz passed 0.404 AU from the Earth. 96P/Machholz last came to perihelion on January 31, 2023. The comet has an estimated diameter of around 6.4 km (4.0 mi).
Comet Kopff or 22P/Kopff is a periodic comet in the Solar System. Discovered on August 23, 1906, it was named after August Kopff who discovered the comet. The comet was missed on its November 1912 return, but was recovered on its June 1919 return and has been seen at every apparition since. Close approaches to Jupiter in 1938 and 1943 decreased the perihelion distance and orbital period. 22P/Kopff’s last perihelion passage was 18 March 2022. On 13 July 2028 it will pass 0.353 AU (52.8 million km) from Earth.
Comet Schaumasse is a periodic comet discovered by Alexandre Schaumasse on 1 December 1911 as 12th magnitude. It next comes to perihelion on 8 January 2026 and should brighten to about magnitude 9.
43P/Wolf–Harrington is a periodic comet discovered on December 22, 1924, by Max Wolf in Heidelberg, Germany. In 2019 it passed within 0.065 AU of Jupiter, which lifted the perihelion point and increased the orbital period to 9 years.
343158 Marsyas (prov. designated2009 HC82) is an asteroid on a retrograde orbit, classified as a large near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It may be an extinct comet or damocloid asteroid. The asteroid was discovered on 29 April 2009, by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey at the Catalina Station near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. Approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter, it makes many close approaches to Earth, Venus, and Mars at a very high relative velocity. It was named after the satyr Marsyas from Greek mythology.
(612093) 1999 LE31, prov. designation: 1999 LE31, is a centaur and damocloid on a retrograde and eccentric orbit from the outer region of the Solar System. It was first observed on 12 June 1999, by astronomers with the LINEAR program at the Lincoln Lab's ETS near Socorro, New Mexico, in the United States. The unusual object measures approximately 17 kilometers (11 miles) in diameter.
163P/NEAT is a periodic comet discovered on November 5, 2004 by Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) using the 1.2 meter Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory.
62P/Tsuchinshan, also known as Tsuchinshan 1, is a periodic comet first discovered January 1, 1965 at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanking. It last came to perihelion on 25 December 2023 at around apparent magnitude 8, and was then 0.53 AU (79 million km) from Earth and 110 degrees from the Sun.
C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) is a long-period comet discovered in Leo on 23 March 2012, by A. R. Gibbs using the 1.5-m reflector at the Mt. Lemmon Survey, located at the summit of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, USA. Initially, the object was considered to be of asteroidal nature before later observations confirmed its cometary appearance. Comet Lemmon has a highly eccentric orbit, bringing it as close to 0.73 AU from the Sun at perihelion and as far as 973 AU from the Sun at aphelion. This also leads to the comet's long-period nature with an orbital period of approximately 8,000 years based on epoch 2050. The comet last reached perihelion on 24 March 2013.
C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) is a retrograde Oort cloud comet discovered on 12 November 2013 by Oukaimeden Observatory at an apparent magnitude of 19.4 using a 0.5-meter (20 in) reflecting telescope.
Comet 252P/LINEAR is a periodic comet and near-Earth object discovered by the LINEAR survey on April 7, 2000. The comet is a Jupiter family comet, meaning that it passes quite close to the orbit of Jupiter.
104P/Kowal, also known as Kowal 2, is a periodic Jupiter-family comet discovered by Charles T. Kowal in 1979. The orbit was confirmed after new sightings in 1991 and 1998.
156P/Russell–LINEAR is a Jupiter family periodic comet with an orbital period of 6.4 years. It was discovered by Kenneth S. Russell in September 1986.
226P/Pigott–LINEAR–Kowalski is a Jupiter family periodic comet with an orbital period of 7.3 years. It was discovered by Edward Pigott on 19 November 1783, but was subsequently lost, until it was recovered on 5 January 2003 by Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR). It will next come to perihelion on 27 December 2023 at about apparent magnitude 15.