178P/Hug–Bell

178P/Hug-Bell

Discovery
Discovered by	Gary Hug and Graham E. Bell
Discovery date	December 10, 1999
Alternative designations	1999 X1, 2006 O1
Orbital characteristics ^A
Epoch	July 7, 2013
Aphelion	5.405 AU
Perihelion	1.9337 AU
Semi-major axis	3.6993 AU
Eccentricity	0.4730
Orbital period	7.03 a
Inclination	10.9755°
Last perihelion	July 23, 2013[1] July 6, 2006
Next perihelion	2020-Jul-16[2]

178P/Hug–Bell is a periodic comet in the 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 discovered by amateurs. It was declared a comet less than two days after its initial discovery, after having its course confirmed on previous images.^[3]

Hug-Bell's orbital period is about seven years; its orbit is eccentric, though less so than many comets. Hug-Bell's orbit lies entirely outside the orbit of Mars, but at its aphelion overlaps in solar distance with the orbit of Jupiter. Because it never comes closer to the Sun than about 2 AU, it is never expected to be a very bright comet, with a typical perihelion magnitude of 18-19.^[4]

References

1. Syuichi Nakano (2010-04-09). "178P/Hug-Bell (NK 1910)". OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
2. "178P/Hug-Bell Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
3. "Winter, Jennifer and Winter, Vic. Comet Hug-Bell Discovery!.". ICSTARS Astronomy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
4. "178P/Hug-Bell (1999).". Seiichi Yoshida July 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-18.

External links

• Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
• 178P/Hug-Bell – Seiichi Yoshida @ aerith.net
• 178P/Hug-Bell @ JPL Small-Body Database Browser