 Comet Hug–Bell photographed from theZwicky Transient Facility on 7 January 2021 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Gary Hug Graham E. Bell |
| Discovery site | Eskridge, Kansas |
| Discovery date | 10 December 1999 |
| Designations | |
| P/1999 X1,[1] P/2006 O1[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4][5] | |
| Epoch | 4 June 2027 (JD 2461560.5) |
| Observation arc | 21.43 years |
| Earliestprecovery date | 10 October 1999 |
| Number of observations | 1,074 |
| Aphelion | 5.385 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.880 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.633 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.48245 |
| Orbital period | 6.924 years |
| Inclination | 11.091° |
| 102.79° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 297.95° |
| Mean anomaly | 220.91° |
| Last perihelion | 16 July 2020 |
| Next perihelion | 21 June 2027[3] |
| TJupiter | 2.871 |
| EarthMOID | 0.971 AU |
| JupiterMOID | 0.655 AU |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 13.2 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 15.9 |
178P/Hug–Bell is aJupiter-family comet with a 6.9-year orbit around theSun. It was discovered byNortheast Kansas Amateur Astronomers' League membersGary Hug andGraham Bell and is thought to be the first periodic comet to be discovered by amateurs.[1] It was declared a comet less than two days after its initial discovery, after having its course confirmed on previous images.[6]
Hug–Bell'sorbital period is about seven years; its orbit is eccentric, though less so than many comets. Hug–Bell's orbit lies entirely outside the orbit of Mars, but at itsaphelion overlaps in solar distance with the orbit ofJupiter. Because it never comes closer to the Sun than about 2 AU (300 million km), it is never expected to be a very bright comet, with a typical perihelion magnitude of 18–19.[7]
| Numbered comets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 177P/Barnard | 178P/Hug–Bell | Next 179P/Jedicke |
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