179P/Jedicke (0179P)

TRY AGAIN 2035

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 30 May 2022 Perihelion distance (q): 4.1 Aphelion distance (Q) : 7.7 Period (years): 14.4 Eccentricity (e): 0.31 Inclination (i): 19.9 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve Discovered by Robert Jedicke (SPACEWATCH, Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA) with the 0.9-m reflector on 8 January 1995. The comet was described as magnitude 19.0, with a nucleus of magnitude 20.9. The comet exhibited a coma 17" across and a tail extending 2.91 arc minutes towards PA 262 degrees. The first orbit was published by Brian G. Marsden (Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams) on 13 January 1995. Using 8 positions obtained from 8-10 January, he calculated a parabolic orbit with a perihelion date of 13 April 1994. Marsden published a revised orbit on 24 January, which showed the comet was moving in an elliptical orbit of short period. He used 14 positions and determined a perihelion date of 20 March 1993 and a period of 14.38 years. A revised orbit was later computed using 76 positions obtained during the period of 8 January to 27 May. It revealed a perihelion date of 17 August 1993 and a period of 14.33 years. This proved an excellent representation as, following the comet's recovery in 2006, a new orbit for the 1993 apparition revealed a perihelion date of 17 August and a period of 14.33 years. Longer exposure photographs typically gave magnitudes of 18.3 to 18.6 around mid- January 1995, which marked the greatest brightness for the apparition. The comet slowly faded and was last detected on 21 January 1996 by astronomers at Kitt Peak National Observatory (Arizona, USA). The magnitude was then given as 22.6. The comet was recovered by J. V. Scotti (Spacewatch, Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA) on 22 October 2006, using the Spacewatch II telescope. He described the comet as nearly stellar and magnitude 20.7. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 26-Oct-22 19.1 0.4 03-Nov-22 19.2 0.4 23-Nov-22 18.5 0.4 19-Feb-23 18.9 0.4 10-Mar-23 19.0 0.4