Comet 17P/Holmes is a periodic comet which was discovered by Edwin Holmes in 1892.
It is a short-periodic comet in an inclined and elliptical orbit between Mars and Jupiter.
In October 2007, this comet experienced a dramatic increase in brightness from magnitude 17 to about 2.8 (becoming an easy naked eye object).
This increase represents an increase in brightness of a factor of about 500.000 times.
Based on data gathered from the last perihelion passage, the comet’s nucleus was estimated at 3.4 km.
By November the comet’s coma had grown to a size larger than the apparant diameter of our Sun (in the sky)
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Object info
Name | 17P/Holmes |
Type | Comet |
Discovered | 1892 |
Aphelion | 5.18 AU |
Perihelion | 2.05 AU |
Orbital period | 6.88 a |
Inclination | 19.11° |
Next perihelion | February 19, 2021 |
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