211P/Hill (0211P)

TRY AGAIN 2028

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 4 October 2022 Perihelion distance (q): 2.3 Aphelion distance (Q) : 4.8 Period (years): 6.7 Eccentricity (e): 0.34 Inclination (i): 18.9 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve The comet was discovered by Rick Hill at 17th magnitude on CCD images taken with the 0.68-m Catalina Schmidt telescope on 4 December 2008. Calculations by Hirohisa Sato allowed for the possibility of an elliptic orbit of period 11 years and perihelion at 2.0 AU in early June 2009. This was confirmed by subsequent orbits, which give a period of 6.7 years and perihelion 2.4 AU in May 2009. With an improved orbit, Maik Meyer subsequently found previously unidentified images of the comet on frames taken by NEAT on 24 March 2003 and LONEOS on 1 April 2003. The comet was given the designation 2003 F6 at this return, which had perihelion on 2002 August 19.1. The comet suffered a minor encounter with Jupiter in 1925, but the orbit has been stable since then. It will approach Jupiter to 0.38 au in August 2032, which will increase the perihelion distance from 2.3 to 2.7 au. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 17-Nov-15 18.21 0.06 15.6 0.2 09-Dec-15 17.79 0.05 15.9 0.2 04-Feb-16 17.17 0.05 15.8 0.2 05-Feb-16 17.22 0.02 15.6 0.2 19-Feb-23 18.8 0.4 27-Feb-23 18.7 0.4 13-Mar-23 18.5 0.4 24-Mar-23 19.1 0.4 16-Apr-23 19.6 0.4