P/2020 G1 (Pimental)

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Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 17 March 2020 Perihelion distance (q): 0.5 Aphelion distance (Q) : 6.7 Period (years): 6.9 Eccentricity (e): 0.86 Inclination (i): 18.5 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve Eduardo Pimental discovered a 15th magnitude comet in images taken by himself, Christovao Jacques and Joao Ribeiro de Barros on 13 April 2020 with the "Southern Observatory for Near Earth Research" (SONEAR) 0.28-m f/2.2 astrograph at Oliveira, Brazil. It was soon confirmed by many other observers. There was some uncertainty about the orbit, with the discovery MPEC giving ellipital ellements with a period of 8.6 years based on observations from 13 - 17 April and including a description by Dan Green dated 16 June. Further observations suggest an orbit with a period of 7 years, which would imply an approach to Jupiter in 2007, but this remains uncertain. Further, for some reason unpublished, observations now give a still uncertain orbit with a period of about 6.8 years and no Jupiter approach. JPL, without access to these observations currently give an orbit with eccentricity of 0.86, perihelion at 0.5 au and a period of 7.0 years +/-0.1 years. This orbit gives a Jupiter MOID of 0.25 au and an Earth MOID of 0.27 au, though with no recent close approaches. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 25-May-20 17.84 0.09 16.7 0.3