96P/Machholz
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This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future events. It may contain information of a tentative nature and the content may change dramatically as the event approaches and more information becomes available. |
Comet 96P is a periodic comet discovered in 1986 by Donald Machholz. It entered SOHO's field of view in 2002, seen in both LASCO C2 and C3. On April 3rd, 2007, it will reach perihelion, and at a predicted magnitude 2, it will be clearly visible to the unaided eye, although there may be some difficulty in observing it, as the passage will bring it very close to the sun. It is expected to enter SOHO's fov early April. It's coma is expected to be substantially smaller than the sun in both mass and volume.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Donald Machholz |
| Discovery date: | 1986 |
| Alternate designations: | 96P, Machholz, Machholz 1, 1986 J2, 1991 XII, 1986e, 1986 VII |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch: | 2452480.5 (July 25, 2002) |
| Aphelion distance: | 5.90347497 AU |
| Perihelion distance: | 0.12412874529142 AU |
| Semi-major axis: | 3.0138018588805 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.958813236203415 |
| Orbital period: | 5.2322 a |
| Inclination: | 60.1813131789455° |
| Last perihelion: | January 8, 2002 |
| Next perihelion (predicted): | April 3, 2007 [1] |
[edit] References and external links
- Orbital elements and diagram
- SOHO hotshots of comet
- Astronomy magazine podcast: Don Machholz and Comet 96P
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