322P/SOHO (0322P)

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Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 31 August 2019 Perihelion distance (q): 0.1 Aphelion distance (Q) : 5.0 Period (years): 4.0 Eccentricity (e): 0.98 Inclination (i): 11.5 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve 322P/SOHO = 1999 R1 = 2003 R5 = 2007 R5 = 2011 R4 A Kracht II group comet reported from SOHO C2 imagery by Bo Zhou on 10 September 2007 was the return of the comet predicted by Sebastian Hoenig, confirming the identity 1999 R1 = 2003 R5. The preliminary time of perihelion was 11 September. Following the precedent of comets 1P, 2P and 27P a suggestion is that the comet should be re-named comet Hoenig. An alternative view is that others have also suggested possible linkages between the SOHO comet groups, eg Rainer Kracht, Brian Marsden and Maik Meyer and that deciding on who should get precedence will be difficult. The CBAT were reluctant to number it because they were not convinced that it is a comet. The comet was again observed from SOHO in 2011, eventually being designated 2011 R4 in 2015 May and subsequently numbered as 322P/SOHO. It was again observed in 2015, but not given a further designation. Further study suggests that the object is actually an NEO approaching its end-point and it will be vapourised. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 22-Jul-15 16.13 0.05 14.8 0.3 08-Aug-15 15.82 0.01 14.2 0.3 15-Aug-15 15.85 0.02 13.9 0.3 22-Aug-15 15.82 0.03 14.2 0.3 04-Sep-15 15.63 0.03 13.4 0.3 16-Sep-15 15.88 0.01 13.8 0.5 07-Oct-15 15.99 0.03 13.0 0.7 18-Oct-15 16.23 0.02 13.1 0.3 19-Oct-15 16.25 0.02 13.3 0.3 30-Oct-15 16.56 0.03 13.0 0.2 08-Nov-15 16.71 0.05 13.1 0.2 11-Dec-15 17.41 0.03 15.3 0.2