256P/LINEAR (0256P)

TRY AGAIN 2032

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 12 March 2023 Perihelion distance (q): 2.7 Aphelion distance (Q) : 6.6 Period (years): 10.0 Eccentricity (e): 0.42 Inclination (i): 27.6 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve 256P/LINEAR = 2003 HT15 = 2012 B2 An apparently asteroidal object found by LINEAR on 24 April 2003 was found to be cometary by Carl Hergenrother, who reported a diffuse coma of diameter 15" (and magnitude 18.6 within an aperture of radius 8") and a broad tail 60" long in p.a. 115 deg on co-added 900-s R-band images taken on 24 June with the Mount Hopkins 1.2-m reflector. The comet was recovered at Geisei by observers T. Seki, S. Shimomoto and H. Sato on 26 January 2012 using the 0.70-m f/7 reflector + CCD. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 10-Mar-13 19.01 0.11 18.7 0.2 05-Apr-13 18.17 0.11 17.7 0.1 01-May-13 18.23 0.05 17.8 0.2 20-Feb-23 19.8 0.4 24-Mar-23 20.0 0.4 23-Apr-23 19.0 0.4