Comet Wild 1 (63P / Wild) is a short-period comet from the Jupiter family, which was discovered on March 26, 1960 by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild on a photographic plate obtained from the telescope of the Zimmerwald Observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Berne ( Switzerland ). He described it as a diffuse object of 14.3 m visible magnitude in the constellation Leo . It has a rather short period of revolution around the Sun - a little over 14.90 years.
- The orbit of comet Wild 1 and its position in the solar system
| 63P / Wild | |
|---|---|
| Opening | |
| Discoverer | Paul Wild |
| opening date | March 26, 1960 |
| Alternative notation | 1960 G1; 1973 A2 |
| Characteristics of the orbit [1] | |
| Age of March 1, 2014 JD 2456717.5 | |
| Eccentricity | 0.6509190 |
| Semimajor axis ( a ) | 835.915 million km (5.5877499 AU ) |
| Perihelion ( q ) | 291.802 million km (1,9505773 AU) |
| Aphelion ( Q ) | 1.38003 billion km (9,2249225 AU) |
| Circulation Period ( P ) | 4824.517 days (13.209 g. ) |
| Orbital inclination | 19.77997 ° |
| Last perihelion | April 10, 2013 |
| Next perihelion | July 6, 2026 [2] [3] |
| physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.9 km |
Observation History
The first parabolic orbit was calculated and published by Wild on April 20. I agree with his calculations that the comet was supposed to go through its perihelion on February 15, 1960. After a few more observations, the English astronomer Brian Marsden based on them calculated the elliptical orbit, which was first published on April 29. This orbit determined the date of perihelion on March 20 and the orbital period of 13.17 years.
In April, several observatories observed the comet at once, but it quickly faded away. The last time it was observed on June 27 was Elizabeth Roemer at the US Naval Observatory with a magnitude of 19.5. Römer was the only person who watched the comet for most of May and all of June.
The next comet return was expected in 1973. Having clarified his calculations, Brian Marsden determined the date of the comet perihelion on July 2, 1973. Subsequently, the comet was restored on January 8, 1973, when Römer photographed it with a magnitude of 19.5 to 20.0 m . An accurate measurement of its position made it possible to establish that Marsden's calculations were mistaken for only one day. This time, the conditions for observing the comet were unfavorable and its brightness did not exceed 19 m magnitude. The last time it was observed on June 5.
During her subsequent return in 1986, the comet was never found, but it was restored in late 1999 and in 2013, when it reached its maximum brightness of 12 m .
Notes
- ↑ Elements and Ephemeris for 63P / Wild . Minor Planet Center. Date of treatment May 26, 2016.
- ↑ Seiichi Yoshida. 63P / Wild . Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog (July 3, 2010). Date of treatment February 18, 2012.
- ↑ Syuichi Nakano . 63P / Wild (NK 2410) . OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections (February 4, 2012). Date of treatment February 18, 2012.
Links
- NASA JPL Small Solar System Bodies (63P )
- Solar System Small Body MPC Database (63P )
- 63P at Kronk's Cometography
- 63P at Kazuo Kinoshita's Comets
| Short period comets with numbers | ||
|---|---|---|
| ◄ 61P / Shine - Chaldeha • 62P / Zijinshan • 63P / Wilda 1 • 64P / Swift - Herels • 65P / Gann ► | ||