475P/Spacewatch–LINEAR

475P/Spacewatch–LINEAR
Discovery
Discovered bySpacewatch
LINEAR
Discovery date17 February 2004
Designations
P/2004 DO29
P/2023 V7
Orbital characteristics
Epoch21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
Observation arc21.35 years
Earliest precovery date11 February 2004
Number of
observations		164
Aphelion10.563 AU
Perihelion4.077 AU
Semi-major axis7.320 AU
Eccentricity0.44302
Orbital period19.806 years
Inclination14.524°
147.35°
Argument of
periapsis		40.424°
Mean anomaly26.734°
Last perihelion1 June 2024
Next perihelion~2043
TJupiter2.772
Earth MOID3.107 AU
Jupiter MOID0.657 AU
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
1.07 ± 0.09 km (0.665 ± 0.056 mi)
Mean density
640±100 kg/m3
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		7.0
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		13.7

Comet Spacewatch–LINEAR, also known as 475P/Spacewatch–LINEAR, is a distant Jupiter-family comet with a roughly 20-year orbit around the Sun. It is one of several comets discovered by the Spacewatch and Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) surveys.

Observational history

An apparently asteroid-like object both discovered by Spacewatch and LINEAR in 17 February 2004 was later found to have cometary activity after a 5 arcsecond-wide coma was detected upon review of photographic plates on 16 March 2004. Precovery images as early as 11 February 2004 were known. Observations conducted at the Galileo National Telescope in spring 2005 showed a well-developed coma and long tail even as the comet is well on its outbound trajectory at a distance of 4.22 AU (631 million km) from the Sun.

The comet was accidentally recovered from images taken by Pan-STARRS on 25 November 2023, with additional independent observations from the Calar Alto Observatory and Tenerife Observatory were also reported. It later received its official numerical designation (475P) alongside ten other periodic comets on April 2024.

Notes

  1. ↑ Observation arc from the Minor Planet Center database covering dates from 11 February 2004 until 19 June 2025.

References

  1. 1 2 S. S. Sheppard; Y. R. Fernandez; D. C. Jewitt (16 March 2004). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet P/2004 DO29 (Spacewatch–LINEAR)". IAU Circular. 8305 (1). Bibcode:2004IAUC.8305....1S.
  2. 1 2 "475P/Spacewatch–LINEAR – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "475P/Spacewatch–LINEAR Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 S. S. Sheppard; Y. R. Fernandez; D. C. Jewitt; et al. (16 March 2004). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet P/2004 DO29 (Spacewatch–LINEAR)". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 2004-F09. Bibcode:2004MPEC....F...09S. ISSN 1523-6714.
  5. 1 2 M. L. Paradowski (2022). "A New Indirect Method of Determining Density of Cometary Nuclei" (PDF). Acta Astronomica. 72 (2): 141–159. Bibcode:2022AcA....72..141P. doi:10.32023/0001-5237/72.2.4. ISSN 0001-5237.
  6. ↑ E. M. Epifani; P. Palumbo; M. T. Capria; et al. (2008). "The distant activity of Short Period Comets*– II". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 390 (1): 265–280. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.390..265M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13718.x.
  7. ↑ M. Micheli; F. Ocaña; R. Kresken; et al. (22 January 2024). "Comet P/2004 DO29 = P/2023 V7 (Spacewatch–LINEAR)". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 2024-B93. Bibcode:2004MPEC....F...09S. doi:10.48377/MPEC/2024-B93. ISSN 1523-6714.
  8. ↑ R. Weryk; M. Rudenko; M. Micheli; et al. (23 January 2024). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet P/2023 V7 = P/2004 DO29 (Spacewatch–LINEAR)". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams. 5335: 1. Bibcode:2024CBET.5335....1W.
  9. ↑ S. Deen (22 April 2024). D. W. Green (ed.). "New Numberings of Short-Period Comets". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams. 5386: 1. Bibcode:2024CBET.5386....1D.