322P/SOHO
< 322P
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | SOHO |
| Discovery date | 4 September 1999 |
| Designations | |
| |
| SOHO-85 SOHO-661 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 15 September 2015 (JD 2457280.5) |
| Observation arc | 15.93 years |
| Earliest precovery date | 27 November 254? |
| Number of observations | 319 |
| Aphelion | 4.979 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.0507 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 2.516 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.97869 |
| Orbital period | 3.992 years |
| Max. orbital speed | 187 km/s (2023) |
| Min. orbital speed | 1.9 km/s (2017) |
| Inclination | 12.583° |
| 359.48° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 49.098° |
| Mean anomaly | 2.700° |
| Last perihelion | 21 August 2023 |
| TJupiter | 2.347 |
| Earth MOID | 0.092 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.044 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | ~150–320 m (490–1,050 ft) |
Mean density | ~1.00 g/cm3 |
| 2.8±0.3 hours | |
| 0.09–0.42 | |
| (V–R) = 0.41±0.04 (R–I) = 0.24±0.09 | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 19.0 |
322P/SOHO is the first periodic comet to be discovered using the automated telescopes of the SOHO (SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, and second to be given a numbered designation, after 321P/SOHO. At perihelion, it is six times closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury.