Discovery[1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Michel Giacobini |
Discovery date | September 4, 1896 |
Designations | |
P/1896 R2, 1896 V, P/2008 R6 | |
Orbital characteristics[3] | |
Epoch | February 19, 2014 (2456707.5) |
Aphelion | 5.558 AU |
Perihelion | 1.536 AU |
Semi-major axis | 3.547 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.5669 |
Orbital period | 6.681 a 2440.2 d |
Inclination | 15.287° |
179.625° | |
Argument of periapsis | 154.257° |
Last perihelion | 13 January 2022[2] |
Next perihelion | 12 September 2028[2] |
TJupiter | 2.779 |
Earth MOID | 0.543 AU |
Comet total magnitude (M1) | 14.0[3] |
205P/Giacobini is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with an orbital period of 6.68 years. It was discovered by Michel Giacobini on 4 September 1896 and then it was lost until it was recovered by Koichi Itagaki on 10 September 2008. The comet was then found to have fragmented into three pieces.[1]