340P/Boattini (0340P)

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 29 August 2025 Perihelion distance (q): 3.1 Aphelion distance (Q) : 5.4 Period (years): 8.8 Eccentricity (e): 0.28 Inclination (i): 2.1 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve Atlas Andrea Boattini discovered an 18th magnitude comet with the Mt Lemmon 1.5-m reflector on 1 October 2008. Prediscovery Spacewatch images were found from 1 and 21 September. Brian Marsden noted that the comet made a close approach to Jupiter in April 2003, with a minimum distance 0.03 au. Further calculations by Hirohisa Sato and others show that it approached to 0.0185 au of Jupiter on 4 April 2003. Prior to the encounter the comet had perihelion at 6.2 au and a period of 22 years. A 20th magnitude comet was discovered in PanSTARRS 1 images taken with the 1.8m Ritchey- Chretien on 4 July 2016. R Weyrk of the PanSTARRS team suggested that it might be an accidental recovery of 2008 T1 and this was confirmed by Gareth Williams. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 27-Sep-16 19.15 0.14 18.1 0.2 28-Oct-16 19.19 0.05 18.9 0.2 24-Nov-16 18.74 0.16 18.2 0.2