126P/IRAS (0126P)

TRY AGAIN 2035

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 5 July 2023 Perihelion distance (q): 1.7 Aphelion distance (Q) : 9.6 Period (years): 13.4 Eccentricity (e): 0.70 Inclination (i): 45.9 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve The comet was discovered by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite on 28 June 1983. A confirmation was immediately obtained by J. Gibson (Palomar Observatory, California, USA) on 30 June 1983. His photograph with the 1.2-m Schmidt telescope indicated a total magnitude of 15. The comet reached a maximum brightness of 11 in mid-September 1983. J. The comet was recovered on 8 August 1996, when Q. A. Parker (Siding Spring, Australia) photographed it with the U. K. Schmidt telescope. The magnitude was then estimated as 13 and the position indicated the predicted perihelion date needed corrected by -1.65 days. The comet passed closest to Earth on 21 September (0.9715 AU), but continued to brighten as it approached perihelion. The maximum magnitude just slightly exceeded 12 during late October, and the comet faded only slightly during the first half of November. It was last detected on 1 March 1997 by astronomers at the Astronomical and Geophysical Observatory, Modra (Slovakia). Using positions from the 1983 and 1996 apparitions, the Minor Planet Center predicted the comet would next reach perihelion on 22 February 2010. The recovery was made by Leonid Elenin (Tzec Maun observatory, Pingelly, Australia) on 27 May 2009, using a 15-cm refractor and a CCD camera. His positions indicated the predicted orbit required a correction of only -0.13 day. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 10-Sep-23 15.3 0.6 11-Sep-23 15.1 0.8 21-Sep-23 14.9 0.8 07-Oct-23 15.6 0.6 14-Oct-23 16.5 0.4 22-Oct-23 16.1 0.6 11-Nov-23 17.0 0.4 22-Nov-23 17.2 0.4