88P/Howell
88P/Howell is a periodic comet with a 5.5 year orbital period. It was discovered on 29 August 1981, by Ellen Howell. In 1975 the comet's perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) was 1.9 AU, but a close approach to Jupiter in 1978 perturbed the perihelion distance closer to the Sun. During the 2009 apparition the comet became as bright as apparent magnitude 8.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Ellen Howell |
| Discovery date | August 29, 1981 |
| Designations | |
Alternative designations | 1981 X; 1987 VI; 1993 II |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
| Aphelion | 4.865 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.366 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.116 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.5615 |
| Orbital period | 5.5 yr |
| Inclination | 4.3831° |
| Last perihelion | 2020-Sep-26 April 6, 2015 |
| Next perihelion | 2026-03-18 |
| Earth MOID | 0.35 AU (52 million km; 140 LD) |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.46 AU (69 million km) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4.4 km |
It last came to perihelion on 6 April 2015; the next perihelion will be on 26 September 2020. On 14 September 2031 the comet will pass 0.074 AU (11.1 million km; 6.9 million mi) from Mars. Between 2000–2050 the closest the comet will come to Earth is 0.76 AU (114 million km; 71 million mi) in June 2042.
In response to New Frontiers program call for Mission 4, a team from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) submitted a mission concept proposal called Comet Rendezvous, Sample Acquisition, Investigation, and Return (CORSAIR) that would perform a sample return from comet 88P/Howell.
During the 2020 apparition the comet has brightened to about apparent magnitude 10.7 and should reach magnitude 9.