 Comet Machholz in February 2005 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Donald Machholz |
| Discovery date | 2004 |
| Designations | |
| Comet Machholz | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 2453415.5 (February 14, 2005) |
| Aphelion | ~5000 AU (inbound)[1] ~1100 AU (outbound) |
| Perihelion | 1.205 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.9995 |
| Orbital period | ~130,000 yr (inbound)[1] ~12,400 yr (outbound) |
| Inclination | 38.6° |
| Last perihelion | January 24, 2005 |
Comet Machholz, formally designated C/2004 Q2, is a long-period comet discovered by Donald Machholz on August 27, 2004. It reached naked eye brightness in January 2005. Unusual for such a relatively bright comet, its perihelion was farther from the Sun than the Earth's orbit.