| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert G. Harrington at Palomar Observatory |
| Discovery date | 14 August 1953 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 2022-09-18 (JD 2459840.5) |
| Aphelion | 5.724 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 1.6925 AU (q) |
| Semi-major axis | 3.708 AU (a) |
| Eccentricity | 0.5436 |
| Orbital period | 7.14 yr |
| Inclination | 5.427° |
| Last perihelion | 2022-Oct-01[1][2] 12 August 2015[3] 18 June 2008 |
| Next perihelion | 2029-Nov-16 (MPC)[1] |
51P/Harrington is a periodic comet in the Solar System.
It was discovered by Robert George Harrington at Palomar Observatory on 14 August 1953 using the Schmidt telescope. It then had a brightness of magnitude 15. In October 1956 its orbit was affected by the planet Jupiter and on its next return in 1960 the brightness had fallen to magnitude 20. By 1980 it had slightly improved to magnitude 18. It has a period of 7.1 years.
In 1987 and 1994 brightness had significantly increased to magnitude 12. In 1994 Jim Scotti at Kitt Peak Observatory observed that the comet had broken up and that two detached pieces were accompanying the main body, which explained the improvement in the brightness. By 2001 further splitting had occurred.
51P came to opposition on 25 August 2022 when it had a solar elongation of 168 degrees and was 0.73 AU from Earth. It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 1 October 2022.[1]
| Fragment | Opposition | Perigee (Earth approach) |
Perihelion (Sun approach) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51P-A[4] | 2022-08-23 @ 168.2° | 2022-09-03 @ 0.727 au | 2022-10-03 @ 1.69 au[5] |
| 51P-D[6] | 2022-08-25 @ 167.9° | 2022-09-04 @ 0.720 au | 2022-10-01 @ 1.69 au |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "51P/Harrington Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20.
- ↑ "Horizons Batch for 51P-D (90000595) on 2022-Oct-01" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2022-07-06. (JPL#K222/5 Soln.date: 2023-May-04)
- ↑ Seiichi Yoshida (2016-05-14). "51P/Harrington". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- ↑ "Horizons Batch for 51P-A/Harrington (90000593) for Aug-Oct 2022". JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-06-21. (JPL#K153/2, Soln.date: 2015-Oct-07)
- ↑ "Horizons Batch for 51P-A/Harrington (90000593) on 2022-Oct-03" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2022-06-20. (JPL#K153/2, Soln.date: 2015-Oct-07)
- ↑ "Horizons Batch for 51P-D (90000595) for Aug-Oct 2022". JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-07-06. (JPL#K222/5 Soln.date: 2023-May-04
- Mobberley, Martin. Hunting and Imaging Comets. Google Books
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
- 51P/Harrington – Seiichi Yoshida @ aerith.net
- Elements and Ephemeris for 51P/Harrington – Minor Planet Center
- 51P/Harrington at the Minor Planet Center's Database
- 51P/Harrington – Kazuo Kinoshita (2008 Dec. 21)
- 51P/Harrington – Gary W. Kronk's Cometography
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