217P / LINEAR
| 217P / LINEAR [i] | |
|---|---|
| Properties of the orbit ( animation ) | |
| Orbit type | short-term |
| Numerical eccentricity | 0.692 |
| Perihelion | 1.211 AU |
| Aphelion | 6.647 AU |
| Major semi-axis | 3.929 AU |
| Sidereal period | 7 a 288 d |
| Inclination of the orbit plane | 12.925 ° |
| Perihelion | September 8, 2009 |
| history | |
| Explorer | M. Blythe |
| Date of discovery | July 11, 2001 |
| Older name | 2001 MD7, 2009 F3 |
| Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . Please also note the note on comet articles . | |
217P / LINEAR is a periodic comet of the Jupiter family whose orbit is between Earth and Saturn . The comet's orbital period is 7.9 years.
Discovery story
M. Blythe discovered this comet on July 11, 2001 with a 1-meter mirror from the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program. About a month later, Brian G. Marsden calculated the comet's orbit from 38 position information.
Return of the comet in 2009
On March 17, 2009, the comet was successfully rediscovered by Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero and Paul Camilleri . In August 2009 the comet became much brighter than expected and, in addition to a well-structured coma, also showed two separate tails. It became bright enough to be able to observe it even with a small telescope.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ JPL - Solar System Dynamics: 217P / LINEAR
- ↑ Gary W. Kronk : 217P / LINEAR ( Memento of 14 August 2009 at the Internet Archive )
Web links
- Homepage of Seiichi Yoshida (English)
- Gary Kronk's Cometography: 217P / LINEAR (English)
- Minor Planet Center: Ephemeris of 217P / LINEAR (English)