431P/Scotti (0431P)
TRY AGAIN 2027
Type: Periodic
Perihelion date: 13 February 2022
Perihelion distance (q): 1.8
Aphelion distance (Q) : 5.1
Period (years): 6.5
Eccentricity (e): 0.48
Inclination (i): 22.4
JPL orbit diagram
COBS lightcurve
431P/Scotti = 2015 Q1 = 2021 P5
Jim Scotti discovered a 19th magnitude comet in images taken with the 0.9-m
Spacewatch telescope at Kitt Peak on 18 August 2015.
Francois Kugel recovered 2015 Q1 in images taken on 2 August 2021 at his
observatory "Chante-Perdrix" (Dauban, France) with his 0.4-m f/2.8 reflector. This
was confirmed in follow up observations on 7 and 16 August and by other amateurs
Jean-Francois Soulier and John J Maikner. Rob Matson then found prediscovery
observations made with the 1.2-m Palomar Schmidt in 2002, but no designation has
yet been assigned for that return.
The comet passed 0.6 au from Jupiter in December 2005 in an encounter that
reduced the perihelion distance, whilst it passed 1.5 au in December 2017, which
increased the perihelion distance.
Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude)
Date
10x10 mag
Error
VEmag
Coma '
26-Aug-15
18.22
0.05
17.9
0.2
09-Sep-15
17.92
0.04
17.7
0.2
16-Sep-15
17.60
0.04
17.3
0.2
23-Sep-15
17.45
0.05
17.3
0.2
08-Oct-15
16.95
0.03
16.3
0.2
17-Oct-15
16.83
0.01
16.4
0.3
25-Oct-15
16.69
0.04
16.0
0.2
05-Nov-15
16.52
0.02
16.1
0.3
17-Nov-15
16.39
0.06
14.5
0.2
10-Dec-15
16.86
0.35
15.4
0.2
03-Feb-16
17.93
0.07
15.5
0.2
05-Feb-16
17.90
0.07
17.1
0.2