P/2015 TP200 (LINEAR)

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Type: Periodic Perihelion date: 28 October 2016 Perihelion distance (q): 3.4 Aphelion distance (Q) : 11.2 Period (years): 19.7 Eccentricity (e): 0.54 Inclination (i): 8.8 JPL orbit diagram COBS lightcurve LINEAR (The 3.5m reflector Space Surveillance Telescope at the Atom site) discovered a 20th magnitude asteroid on 10 October 2015. The object was posted on the PCCP, but not confirmed as a comet. Whilst taking follow-up images on 3 August 2016 with the iTelescope 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph, Hidetaka Sato noted that it was some three magnitudes brighter than expected and showed a coma. Peter Birtwhistle made confirming images using his 0.40-m f/6 Schmidt-Cassegrain. Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude) Date 10x10 mag Error VEmag Coma ' 07-Nov-16 17.46 0.17 16.8 0.2 27-Nov-16 17.11 0.03 15.7 0.2 10-Dec-16 17.06 0.02 16.0 0.2 27-Dec-16 16.82 0.07 15.9 0.2 04-Jan-17 16.78 0.02 14.2 0.3 22-Jan-17 16.88 0.03 15.2 0.4 02-Feb-17 17.02 0.05 16.0 0.3 13-Feb-17 17.18 0.05 16.0 0.2 21-Mar-17 17.67 0.11 16.5 0.2 13-Apr-17 17.79 0.04 16.7 0.2