Discovery [1] [2] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Arthur Schuster M. Trépied |
Discovery site | Sohag, Egypt |
Discovery date | 17 May 1882 |
Designations | |
Eclipse Comet of 1882 | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Observation arc | 70 sec (0.001 day) |
Number of observations | 1 |
Orbit type | Kreutz sungrazer |
Max. orbital speed | 500 km/s |
Last perihelion | 17 May 1882 |
Physical characteristics | |
0.0 [3] (1882 apparition) |
The Eclipse Comet of 1882, designated as X/1882 K1, was a Kreutz sungrazer comet that was spotted during the solar eclipse of May 17, 1882. It is sometimes referred to as Comet Tewfik, named after the Khedive of Egypt at the time, Tewfik Pasha. [4]
A party of observers gathered in Upper Egypt to watch a total solar eclipse that occurred on May 17, 1882. By coincidence, a comet was spotted moving across the sky during the 70-second long eclipse. [3] Observers noted a "luminous streak" about magnitude 0.0 in brightness, and only half a degree from the limb of the Sun. It wasn't identified as a comet until one of the astronomers, M. Trépied, noticed it in one of Dr. Arthur Schuster's photographs about an hour after the eclipse. [1] Later that night, at a joint meeting held by all astronomers present in the eclipse viewing in Egypt, they all decided to name the comet after Tewfik Pasha, in recognition for the Khedive's hospitality during the event. [5]
Initial investigations suggested that this comet was probably C/1882 F1 (Wells), however later calculations showed that this comet would not have been in the proper position at the time and it would have been fainter. Comet Tewfik's orbit cannot be determined with great accuracy due to its sighting during the eclipse being the only observation made for it. [1] Despite this, Brian Marsden determined that Comet Tewfik is a member of the Kreutz sungrazer group. [4]
Edward James Stone FRS FRAS was an English astronomer.
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.
A sungrazing comet is a comet that passes extremely close to the Sun at perihelion – sometimes within a few thousand kilometres of the Sun's surface. Although small sungrazers can completely evaporate during such a close approach to the Sun, larger sungrazers can survive many perihelion passages. However, the strong evaporation and tidal forces they experience often lead to their fragmentation.
The Great Comet of 1843, formally designated C/1843 D1 and 1843 I, was a long-period comet which became very bright in March 1843. It was discovered on February 5, 1843, and rapidly brightened to become a great comet. It was a member of the Kreutz Sungrazers, a family of comets resulting from the breakup of a parent comet into multiple fragments in about 1106. These comets pass extremely close to the surface of the Sun—within a few solar radii—and often become very bright as a result.
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.
The Kreutz sungrazers are a family of sungrazing comets, characterized by orbits taking them extremely close to the Sun at perihelion. At the far extreme of their orbits, aphelion, Kreutz sungrazers can be a hundred times farther from the Sun than the Earth is, while their distance of closest approach can be less than twice the Sun's radius. They are believed to be fragments of one large comet that broke up several centuries ago and are named for German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, who first demonstrated that they were related. These sungrazers make their way from the distant outer Solar System to the inner Solar System, to their perihelion point near the Sun, and then leave the inner Solar System in their return trip to their aphelion.
Heinrich Carl Friedrich Kreutz was a German astronomer, most notable for his studies of the orbits of several sungrazing comets, which revealed that they were all related objects, produced when a very large Sun-grazing comet fragmented several hundred years previously. The group is now known as the Kreutz Sungrazers, and has produced some of the brightest comets ever seen, including X/1106 C1 and Comet Ikeya–Seki. The source of the group may have been the Great Comet of 371 BC.
Comet White–Ortiz–Bolelli was a bright comet which appeared in 1970. It was a member of the Kreutz sungrazers, a family of comets which resulted from the break-up of a large parent comet several centuries ago. It was already easily visible to the naked eye when first discovered, and reached a maximum apparent magnitude of +1.
Comet Pereyra was a bright comet that appeared in 1963. It was a member of the Kreutz Sungrazers, a group of comets that pass extremely close to the Sun.
X/1106 C1, also known as the Great Comet of 1106, was a comet that appeared on 2 February 1106, and was observed around the world from the beginning of February through to mid-March. It was recorded by astronomers in Wales, England, Japan, Korea, China, Continental Europe, and Egypt.
A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 17, 1882, with a magnitude of 1.0200. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 4.2 days after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
X/1872 X1, occasionally referred to as "Pogson's Comet", was a probable cometary astronomical object seen from Madras on December 3 and 4, 1872, by astronomer N. R. Pogson.
The Great Southern Comet of 1887, or C/1887 B1 using its International Astronomical Union (IAU) designation, was a bright comet seen from the Southern Hemisphere during January 1887. Later calculations indicated it to be part of the Kreutz Sungrazing group. It came to perihelion on 11 January 1877 at a distance of 0.00483 AU (723 thousand km) with a velocity of 606.1 km/s. Since the Sun has a radius of 696000 km, the comet passed about 27000 km from the surface of the Sun.
The Great Comet of 372–371 BC was a comet that is thought to possibly be the source of the Kreutz sungrazer family.
The Great Southern Comet of 1880, formally designated as C/1880 C1 in modern nomenclature, is a comet that became visible in the naked eye throughout the Southern hemisphere in February 1880. It is notable for being classified as a "great comet" not by its apparent magnitude, but by its prominent tail.
96P sungrazer family is a small group of sungrazing comets, originating from 96P/Macholz comet. All comets belonging to this group are discovered by NASA/ESA SOHO satellite. It contains three subgroups: Marsden, Kracht and Kracht II.
Comet du Toit, formal designation C/1945 X1, is a sungrazing comet that was observed four times by South African astronomer, Daniel du Toit, on December 1945. The comet is a member of the Kreutz sungrazer family.
Comet Wells, formally designated as C/1882 F1, is a parabolic, sungrazing comet that became visible in the naked eye during the early months of 1882. However, unlike the great comet that appeared later that September, it never became prominent enough to be noticed by the general public due to unfavorable positions in the twilight sky. It is the only comet discovered by American astronomer, Charles S. Wells.