205P/Giacobini

< 205P
205P/Giacobini
Comet 205P/Giacobini photographed from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 25 October 2021
Discovery
Discovered byMichel Giacobini
Discovery siteNice, France
Discovery date4 September 1896
Designations
D/1896 R2
P/2008 R6
1896d
1896 V
Orbital characteristics
Epoch19 February 2014 (JD 2456707.5)
Observation arc112.05 years
Number of
observations
1,143
Aphelion5.558 AU
Perihelion1.536 AU
Semi-major axis3.547 AU
Eccentricity0.5669
Orbital period6.681 years
Inclination15.287°
179.625°
Argument of
periapsis
154.257°
Last perihelion13 January 2022
Next perihelion12 September 2028
TJupiter2.779
Earth MOID0.543 AU
Jupiter MOID0.373 AU
Physical characteristics
Comet total
magnitude
(M1)
12.0–18.5
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)
15.7
11.3
(1896 apparition)

205P/Giacobini is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with an orbital period of 6.68 years. It was discovered by Michel Giacobini on 4 September 1896 and then it was lost until it was recovered by Koichi Itagaki on 10 September 2008. The comet was then found to have fragmented into three pieces.