88P/Howell
Periodic comet with 5 year orbit
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88P/Howell is a periodic comet roughly 4 km in diameter with a 5.5 year orbital period. It was discovered on 29 August 1981, by Ellen Howell.[5] In 1975 the comet's perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) was 1.9 AU,[1] but a close approach to Jupiter in 1978[4] perturbed the perihelion distance closer to the Sun. During the 2009 apparition the comet became as bright as apparent magnitude 8.[2][6]
| |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Ellen Howell |
| Discovery date | August 29, 1981 |
| Designations | |
| 1981 X; 1987 VI; 1993 II | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 21 November 2025 |
| Aphelion | 4.86 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.358 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.109 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.5615 |
| Orbital period | 5.48 yr |
| Inclination | 4.3819° |
| Last perihelion | 2026-03-18[1][2] 2020-Sep-26 |
| Next perihelion | 2031-Sep-08[3] |
| Earth MOID | 0.34 AU (51 million km; 130 LD) |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.46 AU (69 million km) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4.4 km[4] |
The comet came to perihelion on 18 March 2026.[2] It will next come to perihelion on 8 September 2031 and on 14 September 2031 it will pass 0.074 AU (11.1 million km; 6.9 million mi) from Mars.[4] 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.[7][8]
During the 2020 apparition the comet reached about magnitude 9.[2]
During the 2026 apparition 88P/Howell should reach about magnitude 10.[6][2]
On 14 September 2031 it will pass 11 million km from Mars[4] (which is notably closer than 3I/ATLAS passed to Mars).