65P/Gunn (0065P)

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 16 June 2025 Perihelion distance (q): 2.9 Aphelion distance (Q) : 4.9 Period (years): 7.7 Eccentricity (e): 0.25 Inclination (i): 9.2 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve Atlas The comet was discovered on 11 October 1970 by Professor James E. Gunn of Princeton University using the 122-cm Schmidt telescope at the Palomar Observatory. It had a low brightness of magnitude 16 plus which improves to 12 under favourable conditions. The comet orbits the Sun inside the main asteroid belt between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. On 4 February 1970 the comet passed 0.015 AU (2,200,000 km) from Ceres. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 24-Dec-15 17.56 0.08 16.7 0.2 04-Feb-16 16.86 0.02 16.2 0.2 05-Mar-16 16.43 0.02 15.5 0.3 29-Mar-16 16.35 0.01 15.5 0.4 12-Apr-16 16.41 0.01 15.6 0.5 01-May-16 16.45 0.03 15.1 0.6 28-May-16 16.73 0.03 15.7 0.5 07-Jun-16 16.81 0.02 15.6 0.3 26-Feb-17 16.19 0.05 13.1 0.5 05-Mar-17 16.47 0.04 15.3 0.5 29-Mar-17 16.37 0.02 14.6 0.5 21-Apr-17 16.07 0.02 14.5 0.7 03-May-17 15.82 0.01 14.1 0.4 18-May-17 15.50 0.01 13.2 0.7 28-May-17 15.52 0.01 13.8 0.7 28-Jun-17 15.89 0.01 13.7 0.9 11-Jul-17 15.40 0.02 13.0 0.7 20-Jul-17 16.02 0.02 13.2 0.8 24-Aug-17 16.62 0.04 15.1 0.3 08-Jul-18 17.51 0.01 16.3 0.4 15-Jul-18 17.65 0.14 16.4 0.4 06-Aug-18 17.43 0.07 16.6 0.3 02-Sep-18 17.33 0.06 16.5 0.4 01-Oct-18 17.48 0.04 16.7 0.3 28-Oct-18 18.18 0.21 17.5 0.3 20-Feb-23 18.6 0.4 28-Feb-23 18.8 0.4 12-Mar-23 18.7 0.4 26-Mar-23 19.1 0.4 09-Apr-23 18.5 0.4 08-Feb-24 17.9 0.4 15-Feb-24 17.7 0.4 06-Mar-24 17.7 0.4 14-Mar-24 17.3 0.4 01-Apr-24 17.0 0.4 02-May-24 17.3 0.4 11-May-24 17.3 0.4 25-May-24 17.5 0.4 01-Jun-24 17.2 0.4 09-Jun-24 17.3 0.4 23-Jun-24 17.6 0.4 01-Jul-24 17.4 0.4 08-Jul-24 17.4 0.4