C/2003 H2 (LINEAR)
This comet was, as with most
of the LINEAR comets, first reported as an asteroid by the LINEAR team on April 24th
2003. The comet was
magnitude 19. As on many previous occasions various observers,
found the object to be cometary, in this case the first to do so was Hermann Mikutz. This comet was discovered just before perihelion,
which was reached at 2.18AU on May 17th 2003. This is a very faint
comet.
C/2003 H2 (LINEAR) is a Ikeya-Zhang type comet with a
quite strongly elliptical orbit of period very approximately 350 years.
The light curve
This is an intrinsically
very faint object (absolute magnitude 13.5) that should reach maximum in June.
CCD observation in a 10 arcsecond aperture by:
- Ramón Naves & Montse
Campàs - MPC 213
- Juan Lacruz – MPC
J87
Última actualización 05/06/2003
Por M.R.Kidger