C/2017 U7 (PANSTARRS)
DEPARTED
Type: Hyperbolic
Perihelion date: 14 September 2019
Perihelion distance (q): 6.4
Aphelion distance (Q) : n/a
Period (years): n/a
Eccentricity (e): 1.00
Inclination (i): 142.6
JPL orbit diagram
COBS lightcurve
An asteroidal object of 20th magnitude was discovered in PanSTARRS images taken
with the 1.8m Ritchey-Chretien on 29 October 2017. The orbit was slightly
hyperbolic, but despite much imaging no coma was detected. It was therefore given a
cometary letter designation with an A/ prefix.
Following perihelion in September 2019, several observers reported that they had
detected a cometary appearance, but it was nearly two years after the first report
before the object was classified as a comet, on 19 March 2020.
Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude)
Date
10x10 mag
Error
VEmag
Coma '
08-Apr-22
18.8
0.4
27-Apr-22
19.0
0.4
11-May-22
18.9
0.4
23-May-22
18.9
0.4
07-Jun-22
18.9
0.4
24-Jun-22
19.7
0.4
16-Jul-22
19.8
0.4