C/2015 V2 (Johnson)
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Comet Johnson photographed by Kees Scherer on 3 April 2017 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Jess A. Johnson |
| Discovery site | Catalina Sky Survey (703) |
| Discovery date | 3 November 2015 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 18 January 2017 (JD 2457771.5) |
| Observation arc | 1,750 days (4.79 years) |
| Number of observations | 5,886 |
| Perihelion | 1.637 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 59,200 AU (inbound) |
| Eccentricity | 1.00170 |
| Inclination | 49.875° |
| 69.852° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 164.90° |
| Mean anomaly | –0.005° |
| Last perihelion | 12 June 2017 |
| Earth MOID | 0.642 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 3.349 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.2–4.0 km (1.4–2.5 mi) 1.7 ± 0.14 km (1.056 ± 0.087 mi) |
Mean diameter | 3.0 km (1.9 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 10.0 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 16.127±0.176 |
| 7.1 (2017 apparition) | |
C/2015 V2 (Johnson) is a hyperbolic comet discovered on 3 November 2015 by Jess Johnson (Catalina Sky Survey) at an apparent magnitude of 17.1 using a 0.68-meter (27 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. Its incoming orbit had a semimajor Axis of 59,200 AU (0.936 ly), but will have a hyperbolic trajectory after leaving the Solar System, with an eccentricity of 1.0009. The comet was expected to be able to be seen with binoculars in late May 2017 in the Northern Hemisphere, with a magnitude of 6 to 7, but the comet was fainter than predicted, reaching a magnitude of 7.1 on June 21.