45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova

(0045P)

TRY AGAIN 2027

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 25 April 2022 Perihelion distance (q): 0.6 Aphelion distance (Q) : 5.5 Period (years): 5.3 Eccentricity (e): 0.82 Inclination (i): 4.3 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve The comet was discovered by Minuru Honda on 3 December 1948, during a routine search for comets. He described the comet as diffuse with a magnitude of 9. The orbit was recognised as elliptical with period a little over 5 years by January 1949. It is classed as a middle-age, dwarf comet, with a nucleus roughly 0.9 kilometers across. It belongs to the Jupiter family of comets (comets with periods less than 20 years). An analysis of its orbit reveals the period had been 5.5 years in 1933. A close approach to Jupiter in August 1935 (0.08 AU) reduced the period to 5.3 years. The following close approaches are worthy of note: • 0.06 AU from Earth on 15 August 2011 • 0.09 AU from Earth on 11 February 2017 • 0.57 AU from Earth on 20 July 2027 • 0.17 AU from Jupiter on 3 August 2030 (this will increase the perihelion distance from 0.56 AU to 0.63 AU and the orbital period from 5.34 to 5.52 years) • 0.37 AU from Earth on 6 November 2032 - 0.39 AU from Earth on 21 November 2043 Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 17-Dec-16 11.33 0.04 8.1 2.4 19-Dec-16 11.35 0.01 8.1 2.0 26-Dec-16 10.52 0.04 7.5 1.8 03-Jan-17 10.36 0.01 7.1 4.2 09-Jan-17 10.52 0.05 6.5 4.1 06-Feb-17 14.15 0.11 7.8 4.2 17-Feb-17 14.24 0.01 9.5 7.0 19-Feb-17 14.18 0.02 7.9 10.4 21-Feb-17 14.49 0.03 11.4 4.5 23-Feb-17 14.61 0.03 10.4 4.6 03-Mar-17 15.23 0.03 12.2 4.1 09-Mar-17 15.80 0.09 12.8 0.6 17-Mar-17 16.64 0.02 13.5 2.1 25-Mar-17 17.30 0.01 14.3 1.5 02-Apr-17 17.90 0.09 14.8 0.5