0 the point in an object's orbit (= a curved path in space around a planet or star) around the sun at which the object is closest to the sun: --
Increasing the eccentricity lengthens the time spent near aphelion and shortens the time near perihelion.
In 2004, residents of the southern hemisphere had the opportunity to watch the comet gradually brighten as it raced toward perihelion.
Also, since perihelion and aphelion do not happen on exactly the same dates as the solstices, the maxima and minima are slightly asymmetrical.
At its closest, it is only 0.26 astronomical units away from the sun, having the 32nd closest perihelion of any minor planet.
Unlike a long-period comet, the next perihelion passage of a numbered periodic comet can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy.
During the 2005 perihelion passage the comet brightened to about apparent magnitude 16.
The comet brightened steadily as it approached perihelion.
The remaining three orbital elements - the longitude of the ascending node, the argument of perihelion, and the mean anomaly - were each randomly selected from the range 0-360x.
