277P/LINEAR (0277P)

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Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 30 December 2020 Perihelion distance (q): 1.9 Aphelion distance (Q) : 5.8 Period (years): 7.6 Eccentricity (e): 0.51 Inclination (i): 16.8 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve 277P/LINEAR = 2005 YQ127 = 2013 A3 LINEAR discovered an asteroid of 18th magnitude on 28 December 2005, which had an orbit typical of Jupiter family comets. It can approach within 0.3 AU of Jupiter, although the closest approach in the period 1900 - 2100 is 0.92 AU. As an asteroid it was estimated to be around 6km in diameter. It has underone occasional minor perturbing encounters with Jupiter, most recently in 1996. Further observations showed cometary characteristics. Jim Scotti recovered 2005 YQ127 in Spacewatch II images taken with the 1.8-m f/2.7 reflector at Kitt Peak on 7 January 2013. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 07-Nov-20 17.85 0.06 17.4 0.4 17-Nov-20 17.65 0.12 16.7 0.4 06-Dec-20 17.31 0.07 16.4 0.4 14-Dec-20 17.28 0.04 16.3 0.6 10-Jan-21 14.9 0.8 17-Jan-21 17.50 0.11 16.8 0.4 11-Feb-21 15.3 0.8