13P/Olbers (0013P)

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 30 June 2024 Perihelion distance (q): 1.2 Aphelion distance (Q) : 32.6 Period (years): 69.5 Eccentricity (e): 0.93 Inclination (i): 44.6 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers (Bremen, Germany) discovered this comet on 6 March 1815. He described it as a small comet in the constellation Camelopardalis and, on 7 March, commented, "The comet goes thus slowly to the north and the east to the body of Perseus. It is small, has a badly defined nucleus, and a very pale transparent coma, and was visible in the cometseeker." The comet attained a maximum magnitude of about 5 during the apparition, and the tail reached a maximum length of about one degree. Searches for its recovery were largely unsuccessful, until the comet was accidentally found by William R. Brooks (Phelps, New York) on 25 August 1887. A revised orbit revealed the comet had passed perihelion on 8 October 1887. In 1956 the comet reached a maximum magnitude of 6.5, while the tail reached a maximum length of one degree. The calculated perihelion date was only 5.5 days off. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 12-Nov-23 19.0 0.4 10-Dec-23 17.8 0.4 18-Dec-23 17.8 0.4 30-Dec-23 17.1 0.4 09-Jan-24 15.6 0.9 26-Jan-24 14.7 1.1 07-Feb-24 13.1 2.6 06-Mar-24 11.3 4.3