Comet Tago–Honda–Yamamoto, formally designated C/1968 H1, is a retrograde non-periodic comet discovered by Akihiko Tago, Minoru Honda, and Hirofumi Yamamoto on 1 May 1968.[5] Although officially named after the three Japanese astronomers, it was actually first spotted by Kōichi Itagaki about five days earlier on 25 April 1968, however he could not report his sighting for another couple of weeks.[6]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Akihiko Tago Minoru Honda Hirofumi Yamamoto |
| Discovery site | Japan |
| Discovery date | 1 May 1968 |
| Designations | |
| 1968a[2] 1968 IV | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch | 17 May 1968 (JD 2439993.5) |
| Observation arc | 32 days |
| Earliest precovery date | 25 April 1968 |
| Number of observations | 35 |
| Aphelion | 358.941 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.6804 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 179.811 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99622 |
| Orbital period | 2,411 years |
| Inclination | 102.170° |
| 233.108° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 50.447° |
| Last perihelion | 16 May 1968 |
| TJupiter | –0.186 |
| Earth MOID | 0.1635 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.5021 AU |
| Physical characteristics[4] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 9.8 |
| 7.0 (1968 apparition) | |
Discovery and observations
editJapanese amateur astronomer Kōichi Itagaki, a resident of Yamagata City, was the first person to spot the comet on 25 April 1968, at the time a 7th-magnitude object located near the Andromeda Galaxy.[6] It wasn't until Akihiko Tago, Minoru Honda and Hirofumi Yamamoto made independent observations of the comet on April 30 and later reported their findings to the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory the following day.[1]
C/1968 H1 made its closest approach to Earth on 26 April 1968 at a distance of 0.33 AU (49 million km; 31 million mi).[3] The comet then rapidly declined in brightness as it begins its outbound flight back to the outer Solar System. Despite the bright moonlight conditions, M. J. Gainsford managed to observe the comet on May 12, noting that the comet had faded to magnitude 8.75.[7] It was last seen on the evening of 5 June 1968.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b O. Gingerich (1 May 1968). "Comet Tago-Honda-Yamamoto (1968a)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 2071.
- ^ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ a b "C/1968 H1 (Tago–Honda–Yamamoto) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ E. Roemer (1968). "COMET NOTES". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 80 (473): 239. doi:10.1086/128622.
- ^ a b G. W. Kronk (1999). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 5: 1960–1982. Cambridge University Press. pp. 205–207. ISBN 978-0-521-87226-3.
- ^ a b T. Seki. "Memorable Comets: Comet Tago-Honda-Yamamoto". Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- ^ M. J. Gainsford (1968). "Observation of Comet Tago-Honda-Yamamoto 1968a". The Astronomer. 5: 2. Bibcode:1968Astr....5Q...2G.
External links
edit- C/1968 H1 at the JPL Small-Body Database
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