Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Giovanni B. Donati |
Discovery site | Florence, Italy |
Discovery date | 3 June 1855 |
Designations | |
1855 II [1] | |
Orbital characteristics [2] | |
Epoch | 17 May 1855 (JD 2398720.5) |
Observation arc | 14 days |
Number of observations | 49 |
Aphelion | 79.259 AU |
Perihelion | 0.5676 AU |
Semi-major axis | 39.913 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.98578 |
Orbital period | 252 years |
Inclination | 156.871° |
262.231° | |
Argument of periapsis | 22.488° |
Last perihelion | 30 May 1855 |
Next perihelion | ~2097 [3] |
TJupiter | –0.726 |
Physical characteristics [4] | |
Comet total magnitude (M1) | 11.3 |
8.0 (1855 apparition) |
Comet Donati, formally designated as C/1855 L1, is a long-period comet that has an orbital period of approximately 252 years. [5] It was the second comet discovered in 1855, and the first of five comets discovered by Italian astronomer, Giovanni Battista Donati. [6]
The comet was discovered by Giovanni Battista Donati on the night of 3 June 1855, describing the comet without a nucleus nor a tail, which was seemingly fainter than Messier 13. [4] Independent observations were also made by Charles Dien, Jr. and Wilhelm Klinkerfues the following day. [7]
The comet was already on its outbound flight upon discovery, where observers noted it had faded significantly by June 14. [4] It was last observed from Germany on 30 June 1855. [5]
The first orbital calculations by Karl Christian Bruhns and Donati initially yielded an orbital period lasting 493 years, [8] where the latter had concluded its similarity with C/1362 E1 and may had indicated its possible return to the inner Solar System. [4] However, in 1916, George van Biesbroeck later revised this to 252 years, with gravitational perturbations of Venus and Saturn being considered, and thus concluded that it is unlikely that the comets of 1362 and 1855 were the same object. [5]
Comet Ikeya–Seki, formally designated C/1965 S1, 1965 VIII, and 1965f, was a long-period comet discovered independently by Kaoru Ikeya and Tsutomu Seki. First observed as a faint telescopic object on 18 September 1965, the first calculations of its orbit suggested that on October 21, it would pass just 450,000 km (280,000 mi) above the Sun's surface, and would probably become extremely bright.
Giovanni Battista Donati was an Italian astronomer.
Comet Donati, or Donati's Comet, formally designated C/1858 L1 and 1858 VI, is a long-period comet named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati who first observed it on June 2, 1858. After the Great Comet of 1811, it was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century. It was also the first comet to be photographed.
The Great Comet of 1882, formally designated as C/1882 R1, 1882 II, and 1882b, was a comet which became very bright in September 1882. It was a member of the Kreutz Sungrazers, a family of comets which pass within 1 R☉ of the Sun's photosphere at perihelion.
Comet Arend–Roland was discovered on November 6, 1956, by Belgian astronomers Sylvain Arend and Georges Roland on photographic plates. As the eighth comet found in 1956, it was named Arend–Roland 1956h after its discoverers. Because it was the third comet to pass through perihelion during 1957, it was then renamed 1957 III. Finally, it received the standard IAU designation C/1956 R1 (Arend–Roland), with the "C/" indicating that it was a non-periodic comet and the "R1" showing that it was the first comet reported as discovered in the half-month designated by "R". The last is equivalent to the period September 1–15.
Comet Morehouse (modern formal designation: C/1908 R1) was a bright, non-periodic comet discovered by US astronomer Daniel Walter Morehouse on September 1, 1908 (the discovery photograph was taken on September 1, but the comet was not noticed until the following day), at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Morehouse was a graduate student at the time. It was unusual in the rapid variations seen in the structure of its tail. At times, the tail seemed to split into up to six separate tails; at others, the tail appeared completely detached from the head of the comet. The tail was further unusual in that it formed while the comet was still 2 AU away from the Sun (where distances of 1.5 AU are more usual), and that there was a high concentration of the CO+ ion in its spectrum.
1781 Van Biesbroeck is a Vesta asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 October 1906, by German astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. It was named after astronomer George Van Biesbroeck.
D/1770 L1, popularly known as Lexell's Comet after its orbit computer Anders Johan Lexell, was a comet discovered by astronomer Charles Messier in June 1770. It is notable for having passed closer to Earth than any other comet in recorded history, approaching to a distance of only 0.015 astronomical units, or six times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. The comet has not been seen since 1770 and is considered a lost comet.
Ryves's Comet, also known as C/1931 P1, 1931 IV or 1931c, was discovered by Percy Mayow Ryves, an English amateur astronomer, on 10 August 1931. The comet passed perihelion on 25 August 1931 at a distance of 0.075 AU from the Sun.
Comet van Gent–Peltier–Daimaca, formally designated as C/1943 W1, is a non-periodic comet with a rather peculiar discovery. It was independently discovered by four astronomers, however the established system of naming comets by the International Astronomical Union only recognizes the names of the first three people who observed it.
Candy's Comet, also known as C/1960 Y1 by its modern nomenclature, is a non-periodic comet in retrograde orbit around the Sun. It is the first comet to have its orbit calculated by its own discoverer.
The Southern Comet of 1947 was a bright comet that became visible in the southern hemisphere in December 1947. At that point, it was the brightest comet seen in two decades and is one of the brightest comets seen since 1935, with an estimated maximum apparent magnitude of -3.
Comet Hubble, formally designated C/1937 P1, is the first and only comet discovered by astronomer Edwin Hubble. The comet was already on its outbound flight when it was first spotted in August 1937 as a magnitude 13.5 object in the constellation Sagittarius. It is the fourth comet discovered in 1937.
Comet Ikeya-Seki, formally designated as C/1967 Y1, is a retrograde non-periodic comet discovered by Kaoru Ikeya and Tsutomu Seki on 1967. It is the second comet discovered together by the two Japanese astronomers after C/1965 S1.
Comet Donati–van Arsdale, formally designated as C/1857 V1, is a parabolic comet co-discovered by Giovanni Battista Donati and Robert van Arsdale a few hours apart on 10 November 1857. It was calculated to have a retrograde trajectory around the Sun.
Comet Donati–Toussaint, formally designated as C/1864 O1, is a non-periodic comet co-discovered by Italian astronomers, Giovanni Battista Donati and Carlo Toussaint in July 1864.
Comet Donati, formally designated as C/1864 R1, is a parabolic comet discovered in 1864. It was the last of five comets discovered by Italian astronomer, Giovanni Battista Donati. This comet might be the potential parent body of the Gamma Normids meteor shower.
C/1911 N1 (Kiess) is a non-periodic comet discovered by Carl Clarence Kiess on 6 July 1911. The comet has been identified as the parent body of the Aurigids meteor shower.
Comet Dodwell–Forbes, formally designated as C/1932 Y1, is a long-period comet discovered independently by Alexander F. I. Forbes and George F. Dodwell in late 1932. It was Dodwell's only comet discovery, while it was Forbes's third overall.
Comet Forbes, formally designated as C/1930 L1, is a parabolic comet that was only observed through optical telescopes in the year 1930.