77P/Longmore Explained

77P/Longmore
Discoverer:Andrew Jonathan Longmore
Discovery Date:June 10, 1975
Designations:1974 XIV; 1981 XVI; 1988 XVIII
Epoch:March 6, 2006
Semimajor:3.601 AU
Perihelion:2.31 AU
Aphelion:4.893 AU
Eccentricity:0.3587
Period:6.835 a
Inclination:24.4047°
Last P:2023-Apr-03[1]
May 13, 2016[2] [3]
July 7, 2009
Next P:2030-Feb-18[4]

77P/Longmore is a periodic comet in the Solar System, with a period of 6.8 years.

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.[5]

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 0.1577abbr=onNaNabbr=on from Jupiter.[6]

During the 2023 perihelion passage the comet brightened to about apparent magnitude 14–15.[1]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 77P/Longmore Orbit . . 2017-04-07.
  2. Web site: 2011-03-06 . 77P/Longmore . Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog . Seiichi Yoshida . 2012-02-18.
  3. Web site: September 27, 2011 . Note number : 0027 P/Longmore : 77P . . Patrick Rocher . 2012-02-19.
  4. Web site: Horizons Batch for 77P/Longmore (90000833) on 2030-Feb-18 . . Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive . 2023-07-06. (JPL#64/Soln.date: 2023-Jul-05)
  5. Web site: 77P/Longmore. Cometography. 25 February 2015.
  6. Web site: 2011-09-21 last obs . JPL Close-Approach Data: 77P/Longmore . 2012-07-28.