209P/LINEAR (0209P)

Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 12 June 2019 Perihelion distance (q): 1.0 Aphelion distance (Q) : 5.0 Period (years): 5.1 Eccentricity (e): 0.67 Inclination (i): 21.3 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve This comet was discovered by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project (New Mexico, USA) on five images acquired during 3 February 2004. The images were obtained using a 1.0-m reflector and a CCD camera, but revealed no coma, prompting the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams to consider it as a minor planet and give it the preliminary minor planet designation 2004 CB. The magnitude was given as 17.8-18.2. The "minor planet" was confirmed by S. Sposetti (Gnosca, Switzerland) on three images acquired using his 40-cm reflector and a CCD camera on 4 February. Numerous observations were acquired during the next few weeks, but R. H. McNaught (Siding Spring Observatory, Australia) made a discovery on 30 March. His CCD images using a 1.0-m reflector revealed a narrow tail extending 1.1' in PA 274°. The magnitude was given as 16.7- 17.0. The tail was confirmed by M. Kocer (Klet Observatory, Czech Republic) on 31 March, when CCD images revealed a tail extending about 90" in about PA 280°. Prediscovery images of the comet, dating back to 3 December 2003, were found during 2009. These were additional survey images acquired by LINEAR, with the comet's magnitude then given as 19.0-19.7. The comet was recovered by G. Hug (Scranton, Kansas, USA) using a 56-cm reflector and a CCD camera. The comet appeared on several images he had acquired on 4 and 5 December 2008. The nuclear magnitude was within the range of 19.3-19.7. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 24-May-14 13.71 0.14 13.4 0.2 29-May-14 12.81 0.04 12.3 0.3 02-Jun-14 12.46 0.03 12.0 0.4 04-Jun-14 13.31 0.08 12.8 0.2 05-Jun-14 13.34 0.06 13.3 0.2 06-Jun-14 13.26 0.05 12.7 0.2 08-Jun-14 13.35 0.10 13.2 0.2 09-Jun-14 14.36 0.09 14.3 0.2 10-Jun-14 14.22 0.02 13.2 0.2 12-Jun-14 14.05 0.04 13.9 0.2 14-Jun-14 14.42 0.07 14.3 0.2 19-Jun-14 15.46 0.02 15.4 0.2 26-Jun-14 15.52 0.02 15.4 0.2 28-Jun-14 15.82 0.05 15.8 0.2 06-Jul-14 16.34 0.08 16.3 0.2 10-Jul-14 16.54 0.10 16.5 0.2 16-Jul-14 17.10 0.09 16.9 0.2 21-Jul-14 16.67 0.07 16.6 0.2 26-Jul-14 16.91 0.10 16.9 0.2 03-Aug-14 17.47 0.14 17.5 0.2 13-Aug-14 18.55 0.28 18.1 0.2 25-Aug-14 19.74 0.95 19.7 0.2 18-Dec-18 19.49 0.07 19.4 0.2 28-Dec-18 19.22 0.11 19.2 0.2 08-Jan-19 19.04 0.09 13-Jan-19 19.21 0.17 19.2 0.2