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209P/LINEAR

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209P/LINEAR is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 5.1 years. The comet has extremely low activity for its size and is probably in the process of evolving into an extinct comet.

Key facts

Comet.name
209P/LINEAR
Comet.image
209P 2014-05-28 NEOWISE image 3-color.png
Comet.discoverer
LINEAR1.0-m reflector
Comet.discovery_date
3 February 2004 (asteroidal)30 March 2004 (tail)
Comet.designations
2004 CB
Comet.epoch
2014-May-23(JD 2456800.5)
Comet.semimajor
2.961 AU (a)
Comet.perihelion
0.9695 AU (q)
Comet.aphelion
4.952 AU (Q)
Comet.eccentricity
0.67258
Comet.period
5.09 yr
Comet.inclination
21.243°
Comet.last_p
2019-Jun-122014-May-062009-Apr-15
Comet.next_p
2024-Jul-14
Comet.dimensions
3.9 × 2.7 × 2.6 km
Comet.rotation
10.9 hours
Comet.M1
18.1

via Wikipedia infobox

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

4 sections
Contents
  • Observational history
  • Associated meteor showers
  • References
  • External links

209P/LINEAR is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 5.1 years. The comet has extremely low activity for its size and is probably in the process of evolving into an extinct comet.

== Observational history == The comet discovered on 3 February 2004 by Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) using a reflector. Initially it was observed without a coma and named 2004 CB as a minor planet or asteroid, but in March 2004 Robert H. McNaught observed a comet tail which confirmed it as a comet. It was given the permanent number 209P on 12 December 2008 as it was the second observed appearance of the comet. Prediscovery images of the comet, dating back to December 2003, were found during 2009.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “209P/LINEAR” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.