77P/Longmore

77P/Longmore
Discovery
Discovered by Andrew Jonathan Longmore
Discovery date June 10, 1975
Alternative
designations
1974 XIV; 1981 XVI; 1988 XVIII
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch March 6, 2006
Aphelion 4.893 AU
Perihelion 2.31 AU
Semi-major axis 3.601 AU
Eccentricity 0.3587
Orbital period 6.835 a
Inclination 24.4047°
Last perihelion July 7, 2009
Next perihelion May 13, 2016[1][2]

77P/Longmore is a periodic comet in the Solar System.

It was discovered by Andrew Jonathan Longmore on a photographic plate taken on 10 June 1975 at the 1.22m Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia. Its brightness was estimated at an apparent magnitude of 17. After further observations Brian G. Marsden was able to calculate the perihelion date at 4 November 1975 and the orbital period as 6.98 years.[3]

The next perihelion date was computed to be 21 October 1981. T. Seki of Geisei, Japan relocated the comet on 2 January 1981 with a brightness of magnitude 18. It has since been observed in 1988, 1995, 2002 and 2009.

On 17 October 1963 the comet had passed 0.1577 AU (23,590,000 km; 14,660,000 mi) from Jupiter.[4]

See also

References

  1. Seiichi Yoshida (2011-03-06). "77P/Longmore". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  2. Patrick Rocher (September 27, 2011). "Note number : 0027 P/Longmore : 77P". Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  3. "77P/Longmore". Cometography. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. "JPL Close-Approach Data: 77P/Longmore" (2011-09-21 last obs). Retrieved 2012-07-28.

External links

Numbered comets
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76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura
77P/Longmore Next
78P/Gehrels
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