343P/NEAT-LONEOS (0343P)

TRY AGAIN 2028

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 28 January 2017 Perihelion distance (q): 2.3 Aphelion distance (Q) : 8.7 Period (years): 12.8 Eccentricity (e): 0.58 Inclination (i): 5.6 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve 343P/NEAT-LONEOS = 2003 SQ215 = 2016 P3 An apparently asteroidal object reported independently by the NEAT (on 24 September 2003) and LONEOS (on 27 September 2003) projects was found to show a nonstellar appearance in individual 30-s R-band images taken by A. Fitzsimmons and C. Snodgrass, Queen's University of Belfast, and O. Hainaut, European Southern Observatory (ESO), on 19 January 2004 at the ESO 3.6-m New Technology Telescope (+ SUSI-2 camera). Fitzsimmons adds that co-addition of the frames shows an asymmetric coma of total mag 20.3 extending 1".7 in p.a. 130 degrees. A 20th magnitude comet was discovered in PanSTARRS 1 images taken with the 1.8m Ritchey-Chretien on 12 August 2016. Michael Meyer and Gareth Williams identified it with 2003 SQ215, and also found earlier PanSTARRS images from 7 July, along with others taken by S. Maticic with the Crni Vrh 0.6-m f/3.3 Deltagraph on 9 August. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 02-Sep-16 18.28 0.04 17.3 0.3 24-Sep-16 17.69 0.04 15.6 0.2 29-Oct-16 17.74 0.03 16.9 0.2 24-Nov-16 17.89 0.04 17.1 0.2 27-Dec-16 17.83 0.03 17.2 0.3 23-Jan-17 18.02 0.08 16.3 0.3