220P/McNaught (0220P)

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Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 10 December 2020 Perihelion distance (q): 1.6 Aphelion distance (Q) : 4.7 Period (years): 5.5 Eccentricity (e): 0.50 Inclination (i): 8.1 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve The comet was found in the course of the Siding Spring Survey. R. H. McNaught (Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia) was examining CCD images obtained on 20 May 2004 with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope. The first reported confirmation came from J. Young (Table Mountain Observatory, California, USA) on 25 May . The images were obtained with a 68-cm Schmidt telescope and CCD camera and revealed a coma 8-10" across, with no central condensation. A straight, narrow tail extended 20-30" in PA 252 degrees. The first orbit was published by B. G. Marsden on 28 May 2004. Using 24 positions from the period of 20-28 May 2004, it revealed a perihelion date of 16 June 2004 and a period of 9.46 years. Marsden published a revision on 12 June, which used 27 positions from the period of 20 May to 7 June. The result was a perihelion date of 16 June and a period of 5.46 years. Following the comet's recovery in 2009, the orbit for the 2004 apparition was recalculated and was found to have a perihelion date of 16 June and a period of 5.50 years. The comet attained a maximum magnitude between 17 and 17.5 in the June/July period of 2004. The comet was last detected on 11 December 2004 by astronomers at Kuma Kogen Observatory (Japan) and Konkoly Observatory's Piszkesteto Mountain Station (Hungary). The Minor Planet Center published a prediction on 15 May 2006 for the next return of this comet. Using 142 positions from the 2004 apparition, the perihelion date was given as 15 December 2009 and the period was 5.50 years. T. H. Bressi (Spacewatch) recovered the comet on 28 April 2009. The Minor Planet Center identified this as P/2004 K2 by their automatic procedures. An independent recovery was reported by G. Muler, J. M. Ruiz, and R. Naves (Observatorio Nazaret, Lanzarote island, Canary Islands, Spain) on 1 and 3 May. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 17-Aug-15 18.36 0.08 14.8 0.2 08-Sep-15 18.55 0.06 17.4 0.2 16-Sep-15 18.57 0.08 17.9 0.2 23-Sep-15 18.57 0.05 15.4 0.2 08-Oct-15 18.66 0.06 18.2 0.2 20-Oct-15 18.71 0.06 18.5 0.2 23-May-20 19.99 0.10 19.5 0.2