125P/Spacewatch (0125P)
TRY AGAIN 2028
Type: Periodic
Perihelion date: 7 March 2024
Perihelion distance (q): 1.5
Aphelion distance (Q) : 4.7
Period (years): 5.5
Eccentricity (e): 0.51
Inclination (i): 10.0
JPL orbit diagram
COBS lightcurve
This comet was discovered in Aquarius by Tom Gehrels (Steward Observatory,
Arizona, USA) on CCD images obtained with the 0.91-m Spacewatch telescope on 8
September 1991. Then situated 1.70 AU from Earth, the comet had been closest to
Earth in August (1.64 AU). Further images were obtained on 9 September, with the
nuclear magnitude being determined as 20.9. Scotti described the condensation as
essentially stellar, while a tail extended more than 5 arc minutes towards PA 258°.
The comet was recovered by T. Seki (Geisei, Japan) on 11 March 1996 and was last
detected on 2 September by A. Nakamura (Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory,
Japan). Although the comet was not expected to exceed magnitude 16 during this
apparition, it experienced an outburst during the second half of July 1996 during
which time the magnitude nearly reached 14.5.
Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude)
Date
10x10 mag
Error
VEmag
Coma '
22-Mar-13
16.68
0.07
16.1
0.2
25-Apr-13
17.23
0.10
16.7
0.3
14-Mar-18
18.99
0.21
18.7
0.2
16-May-18
18.59
0.03
18.3
0.2
02-Jul-24
18.2
0.4
14-Jul-24
18.2
0.4
31-Jul-24
18.2
0.4
14-Aug-24
18.0
0.4
30-Aug-24
18.7
0.4