158P/Kowal-LINEAR (0158P)
TRY AGAIN 2031
Type: Periodic
Perihelion date: 17 June 2022
Perihelion distance (q): 4.9
Aphelion distance (Q) : 6.3
Period (years): 13.2
Eccentricity (e): 0.12
Inclination (i): 7.3
JPL orbit diagram
COBS lightcurve
Charles T. Kowal (Palomar Observatory, California, USA) found images of this comet
in late August 1979 on photographic plates exposed one month earlier with the 1.20-
m Schmidt telescope. The earliest image was obtained on 24 July, while two
additional images were obtained on 25 and 27 July. Although three images of the
comet were found on plates exposed over a period of four days, because more than
a month had passed no further observations were acquired.
Two days after the initial announcement, B. G. Marsden calculated a parabolic orbit
with a perihelion date of 23 January 1978 and provided an ephemeris covering the
period of 15 August to 24 September. He noted, "It is rather probable that the comet
is a short-period one." Marsden added that if the comet was periodic, the ephemeris
could be uncertain by up to one degree.
The comet was observed by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research
(LINEAR) project on 12 September 2001 and was reported as a minor planet of
magnitude 19.1. It was subsequently found on additional LINEAR images obtained
on 25 August. After the orbit was well established, a prediscovery image was found
on a plate exposed with the 1.2-m Schmidt at Siding Spring (Australia) on 23
September 1990. This "minor planet" was observed off and on for the next two years,
following its discovery. Then on 26 November 2003, A. E. Gleason (Kitt Peak
Observatory, Arizona, USA) imaged the object with the 0.9-m Spacewatch reflector
and noted a condensed coma 6 arc seconds across that exhibited a tail extending 18
arc seconds toward PA 265°. The Minor Planet Center made a request for
confirmation and J. Young (Table Mountain Observatory, California, USA) obtained a
CCD image on 27 November which revealed a coma 4 arc seconds across and a
broad, faint tail extending 12 arc seconds toward PA 265°.
Knowing that this was now a comet that should be detectable throughout its orbit, a
search was made for older images. Soon images were reported at Siding Spring from
23 September 1990 and at Palomar Observatory from 11 November 1993. On 2
December, S. Nakano linked this comet to the lost comet reported by Kowal back in
1979.
Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude)
Date
10x10 mag
Error
VEmag
Coma '
05-Aug-13
19.91
0.23
19.8
0.2
03-Nov-13
18.25
0.18
17.8
0.3
13-Nov-13
18.15
0.27
16.5
0.2
23-Nov-13
18.45
0.19
18.1
0.2
09-Dec-13
18.58
0.08
18.3
0.2
27-Dec-13
18.72
0.13
18.2
0.3
07-Jan-14
18.74
0.40
18.4
0.2
24-Nov-14
19.41
0.18
19.0
0.2
19-Dec-14
18.83
0.15
18.5
0.2
28-Dec-14
18.74
0.11
18.6
0.2
11-Mar-15
19.31
0.09
19.2
0.2
09-Dec-15
19.81
0.15
19.6
0.2
04-Feb-16
18.72
0.07
17.5
0.2
28-Mar-16
19.29
0.07
18.9
0.2
01-Mar-17
19.37
0.08
18.9
0.2
14-Feb-18
20.06
0.16
19.6
0.2
09-Mar-18
19.52
0.20
18.7
0.2
17-Mar-18
19.67
0.12
19.6
0.2
05-Apr-18
19.45
0.09
19.2
0.2
16-Apr-18
19.40
0.20
19.0
0.2
07-Jun-18
19.58
0.20
19.1
0.2
09-May-19
19.40
0.10
18.8
0.2
02-Jun-19
19.12
0.10
18.3
0.2
14-Jun-21
18.9
0.4
09-Aug-21
17.7
0.4
05-Sep-21
18.3
0.4
28-Aug-22
19.6
0.4
17-Sep-22
19.3
0.4
22-Oct-22
19.7
0.4
13-Nov-22
19.4
0.4
25-Sep-23
20.1
0.4
14-Oct-23
19.9
0.4
22-Oct-23
20.1
0.4
27-Nov-24
21.1
0.4