 Comet 333P/LINEAR photographed byNEOWISE on 21 February 2016 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovery site | LINEAR |
| Discovery date | 4 November 2007 |
| Designations | |
| P/2007 VA85 | |
| Orbital characteristics[3][4] | |
| Epoch | 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) |
| Observation arc | 17.87 years |
| Number of observations | 1,340 |
| Aphelion | 7.329 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.113 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 4.222 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.73629 |
| Orbital period | 8.674 years |
| Inclination | 132.02° |
| 115.71° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 26.033° |
| Mean anomaly | 40.531° |
| Last perihelion | 29 November 2024 |
| Next perihelion | 1 August 2033[2] |
| TJupiter | 0.418 |
| EarthMOID | 0.176 AU |
| JupiterMOID | 0.364 AU |
| Physical characteristics[6] | |
Mean radius | 3.04 km (1.89 mi) |
| 21.04 hours[5] | |
| (V–R) =0.44±0.01 | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 15.0 |
| 10.7 (2024 apparition) | |
333P/LINEAR is aJupiter-family comet in an 8.7-yearretrograde orbit around the Sun. Upon discovery, it was the object with the shortest known retrograde orbit. The comet was discovered byLINEAR on 4 November 2007.[1]
When discovered on 4 November 2007, the comet had anapparent magnitude of 18.5–19 and was asteroidal in appearance. It was given the provisional designation2007 VA85.[1] During the next apparition, it was recovered by the iTelescope Observatory, inSiding Spring, Australia, on 18 November 2015, when it had an apparent magnitude of around 20, and on 1 January 2016 by the SONEAR observatory.[7] A small tail was observed and thus it was recategorised as a comet.[8] It brightened rapidly and reached a magnitude of 12.6 on 28 March 2016.[9] During the 2024 apparition, the comet approached Earth at a distance of 0.55 AU (82 million km) and brightened up to a magnitude of 10.7 in early December.[10]
When discovered, the comet was the first object with retrograde orbit withinJupiter's orbit. It was categorised as anAmor asteroid and was briefly consideredpotentially hazardous to Earth.[11] Simulations indicated it was a comet nucleus that was possibly put into its current orbit after an interaction with Jupiter and in the future it will collide with the Sun or migrate beyond the orbit of Jupiter.[12] The cometary activity has been found to play a role in the orbital evolution of the comet.[13]
| Numbered comets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 332P/Ikeya–Murakami | 333P/LINEAR | Next 334P/NEAT |
2024 in space | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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