177P/Barnard
Discovery
Discovered byEdward Emerson Barnard
Discovery dateJune 24, 1889
Designations
177P/1889 M1; 1889 III; 1889c; 177P/2006 M3
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2013-Apr-18
(JD 2456400.5)[1]
Aphelion48.05 AU
(47.74 AU in 2066)[2]
Perihelion1.12 AU
Semi-major axis24.58 AU
Eccentricity0.954
Orbital period122 yr
120y 7m 16d (perihelion to perihelion)
Inclination31.05°
Last perihelionAugust 28, 2006[3][4][1]
June 21, 1889[1]
Next perihelionApril 13, 2127[5][1][6][3]

Comet 177P/Barnard, also known as Barnard 2, is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 122 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with (20 years < period < 200 years).[4] It orbits near the ecliptic plane and has aphelion near the Kuiper cliff at 48 AU (7.2 billion km).

The comet, also designated P/2006 M3, was discovered by Edward Emerson Barnard on June 24, 1889, and was re-discovered after 116 years.[7] On July 19, 2006, 177P came within 0.366 AU (54.8 million km) of Earth.[4][8] From late July through September 2006 it was slightly brighter than expected at 8th magnitude[3] in the constellations Hercules and then Draco. Perihelion was August 28, 2006. It was last observed in December 2006 when it was about 2 AU (300 million km) from the Sun.[4]

The only numbered comets with an orbital period longer than 177P/Barnard are: 153P/Ikeya–Zhang (365 years), 273P/Pons–Gambart (188 years), 35P/Herschel–Rigollet (155 years), and 109P/Swift-Tuttle (133 years).

Of Barnard's other two periodic comets, the first, D/1884 O1 (Barnard 1) was last seen on November 20, 1884, and is thought to have disintegrated. The last, 206P/Barnard-Boattini marked the beginning of a new era in cometary astronomy, as it was the first to be discovered by photography. It was a lost comet after 1892, until accidentally rediscovered on October 7, 2008, by Andrea Boattini.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "177P/Barnard Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  2. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 177P/Barnard aphelion on 2066-Nov-03". JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Seiichi Yoshida (calculated by Kazuo Kinoshita). "177P/Barnard 2". Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 177P/Barnard". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2012-07-26. 2006-12-11 last obs
  5. ↑ Syuichi Nakano (2006-10-01). "177P/Barnard 2 (NK 1369)". OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  6. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 177P/Barnard on 2127-Apr-13" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-04-29. (JPL#29/Soln.date: 2021-Apr-15)
  7. ↑ Naoyuki Kurita. "Comet Barnard 2 on Aug 4, 2006". Stellar Scenes. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  8. ↑ "177P/Barnard". Kazuo Kinoshita. 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
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