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