178P/Hug–Bell
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Gary Hug and Graham E. Bell |
| Discovery date | December 10, 1999 |
| Designations | |
| 1999 X1, 2006 O1 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | July 4, 2006 |
| Aphelion | 5.414 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.947000 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.680285 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.470965 |
| Orbital period | 7.06 a |
| Inclination | 10.9629° |
| Last perihelion | July 6, 2006 |
| Next perihelion | 2013 |
178P/Hug-Bell is a periodic comet in our solar system. It was discovered by Northeast Kansas Amateur Astronomers League members Gary Hug and Graham Bell and is thought to be the first periodic comet to be first discovered by amateurs. It was declared a comet less than two days after its inital discovery, after having its course confirmed on previous images.[1]
Hug-Bell's orbit is around seven years long and is entirely contained between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. It is not a very bright comet with a magnitude of 18.8. [2]
References
- ^ "Winter, Jennifer and Winter, Vic. Comet Hug-Bell Discovery!". ICSTARS Astronomy. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
- ^ "178P/Hug-Bell (1999)". Seiichi Yoshida July 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
External links
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