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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did 88P/Howell say to its tail? You're comet-ing apart.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

88P/Howell
88P/Howell on 14 June 2026 at 11:01 UT imaged with a Unistellar 114mm smart telescope.
Discovery[1]
Discovered byEllen S. Howell
Discovery sitePalomar Observatory
Discovery date29 August 1981
Designations
P/1981 Q1, P/1987 E1
  • 1981 X, 1987 VI, 1993 II
  • 1981k, 1987h, 1992c[2]
Orbital characteristics[3][4]
Epoch9 June 2026 (JD 2461200.5)
Observation arc71.26 years[a]
Earliest precovery date22 May 1955
Number of
observations		5,478
Aphelion4.860 AU
Perihelion1.358 AU
Semi-major axis3.109 AU
Eccentricity0.56327
Orbital period5.482 years
Inclination4.3819°
56.667°
Argument of
periapsis		235.86°
Mean anomaly14.788°
Last perihelion18 March 2026
Next perihelion8 September 2031[5]
TJupiter2.947
Earth MOID0.344 AU
Jupiter MOID0.475 AU
Physical characteristics[3]
Mean radius
0.96 km (0.60 mi)[6]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		11.4
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		13.9

88P/Howell is a Jupiter-family comet with a 5.5 year orbital period around the Sun. It is the only comet independently discovered by American astronomer, Ellen Howell.

Observational history

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Infrared image of 88P/Howell taken by NEOWISE on 9 June 2020

It was discovered on 29 August 1981 by Ellen Howell.[1] Alan C. Gilmore and Pamela M. Kilmartin recovered the comet ahead of its next apparition on 6 March 1987 as a diffuse 18th-magnitude object in the night sky.[7] During the 2009 apparition the comet became as bright as apparent magnitude 8.[8][9]

The comet most recently came to perihelion on 18 March 2026.[8] It will next come to perihelion on 8 September 2031 and on 14 September 2031 it will pass 0.074 AU (11.1 million km; 6.9 million mi) from Mars.[3][5] Between 2000–2050 the closest the comet will come to Earth is 0.76 AU (114 million km; 71 million mi) in June 2042.

During the 2020 apparition the comet reached about magnitude 9.[8]

During the 2026 apparition 88P/Howell reached about magnitude 10.[9][8] It crossed the Celestial equator on 19 May 2026 becoming more visible from the Northern hemisphere at magnitude 11.

Orbit

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As of 2026, 88P/Howell currently has an orbit that takes it between 1.36–4.86 AU (203–727 million km) from the Sun.[4] Brian G. Marsden was the first to compute two orbital solutions for the comet in 8 September 1981,[10] where he determined that the comet follows a periodic orbit around the Sun once every 5.94 years.[11] Prior to discovery, 88P/Howell had a larger orbit until a close encounter with Jupiter reduced it after passing at a distance of 0.58 AU (87 million km) from the giant planet.[11]

On 14 September 2031, it will pass 0.073 AU (10.9 million km) from Mars.[3][b]

Physical characteristics

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Initial estimates of the size of its nucleus place it roughly about 4.4 km (2.7 mi) in diameter.[12] However, infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2006 reveal a smaller nucleus of only about 1.92 km (1.19 mi) in diameter.[6]

Proposed exploration

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In response to the New Frontiers program call for Mission 4, a team from Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) submitted a mission concept proposal called the Comet Rendezvous, Sample Acquisition, Investigation, and Return (CORSAIR) that would perform a sample return from comet 88P/Howell.[13] The mission proposed using a harpoon-based sample acquisition system while the spacecraft itself hovers a few meters above the comet's surface.[14] In 2019, CORSAIR was ultimately not selected in favor of the Dragonfly mission to Titan.[15]

In 2026, 88P/Howell is selected as a backup target for another proposed NASA/JPL sample-return mission called Gelato, which could launch and rendezvous to the comet by 2030 and 2038 respectively in case its primary target, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, is unreachable.[16]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Observation arc from the Minor Planet Center database covering dates from 22 May 1955 until 25 August 2026.
  2. ↑ For comparison, 3I/ATLAS passed about 0.194 AU (29.0 million km) from Mars on 3 October 2025, while C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) flew by the Red Planet at a distance of 138,700 km (0.000927 AU) on 19 October 2014.

References

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  1. 1 2 E. S. Howell; C. Kowal (1 September 1981). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet Howell (1981k)". IAU Circular. 3631 (1). Bibcode:1981IAUC.3631....1H.
  2. ↑ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "88P/Howell – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 "88P/Howell Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Horizons Batch for 88P/Howell on 2031-Sep-08" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 28 March 2026. (Soln.date: 2025-Dec-03)
  6. 1 2 G. Tancredi; J. A. Fernández; H. Rickman; J. Licandro (2006). "Nuclear magnitudes and the size distribution of Jupiter family comets". Icarus. 182 (2): 527–549. Bibcode:2006Icar..182..527T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.01.007.
  7. ↑ A. C. Gilmore; P. M. Kilmartin (9 March 1987). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Periodic Comet Howell (1987h)". IAU Circular. 4335 (1). Bibcode:1987IAUC.4335....1.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Seiichi Yoshida. "88P/Howell". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  9. 1 2 "88P/Howell plot at Comet Observation database (COBS)". Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  10. ↑ A. C. Gilmore; P. M. Kilmartin (8 September 1981). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet Howell (1981k)". IAU Circular. 3635 (1). Bibcode:1981IAUC.3635....1G.
  11. 1 2 E. S. Howell; C. Kowal; S. J. Bus; et al. (11 September 1981). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Periodic Comet Howell (1981k)". IAU Circular. 3636 (1). Bibcode:1981IAUC.3636....1H.
  12. ↑ J. V. Scotti (1994). "Comet Nuclear Magnitudes". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 26: 1375. Bibcode:1994AAS...185.4306S.
  13. ↑ S. A. Sandford; N. L. Chabot; N. Dello Russo; J. C. Leary; et al. (23–28 July 2017). CORSAIR (COmet Rendezvous, Sample Acquisition, Investigation, and Return): A New Frontiers Mission Concept to Collect Samples from a Comet and Return them to Earth for Study (PDF). 80th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bibcode:2017LPICo1987.6125S.
  14. ↑ S. Völk; S. Ulamec; J. Biele; et al. (2018). "Development and testing of a pyro-driven launcher for harpoon-based comet sample acquisition". Acta Astronautica. 152: 218–228. Bibcode:2018AcAau.152..218V. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.07.045.
  15. ↑ M. Wall (28 June 2019). "NASA Is Sending a Life-Hunting Drone to Saturn's Huge Moon Titan". Space.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  16. ↑ M. J. Kinkczyk; G. E. Buffo; L. M. Aaron-Hennig; et al. (2026). "Gelato: A Mission Concept for Comet Surface Sample Return". The Planetary Science Journal. 7 (7): 182. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ae771f.
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