page_title: 96P/Machholz
section_title: 2001/02 perihelion
hierarchical_section_title: 96P/Machholz / Observations / 2001/02 perihelion
caption_attribution_description: English: en:96P-Machholz 1 starmap for perihelion 2001/02
context_page_description: Comet 96P/Machholz or 96P/Machholz 1 is a short-period sungrazing comet discovered on May 12, 1986, by amateur astronomer Donald Machholz on Loma Prieta peak, in central California using 130 millimetres binoculars. On June 6, 1986, 96P/Machholz passed 0.40373 AU from the Earth. 96P/Machholz last came to perihelion on October 27, 2017, and will next come to perihelion on January 31, 2023. The comet has an estimated diameter of around 6.4 km.
  96P/Machholz is unusual among comets in several respects. Its highly eccentric 5.29 year orbit has the smallest perihelion distance known among numbered/regular short-period comets, bringing it considerably closer to the Sun than the orbit of Mercury. It is also the only known short-period comet with both high orbital inclination and high eccentricity. In 2007, 96P/Machholz was found to be both carbon-depleted and cyanogen-depleted, a chemical composition nearly unique among comets with known compositions. The chemical composition implies a different and possible extrasolar origin.
context_section_description: During the 2001/2002 passage the comet brightened to magnitude −2, and was very impressive as seen by SOHO.
caption: 2001/2002 perihelion starmap
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