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449P/Leonard
Periodic comet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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449P/Leonard is a periodic comet that orbits the Sun once every 6.83 years.[6] Studies in 2022 show that 449P was a rediscovery of a previously lost comet that was spotted in 1987.[7][2]
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Discovery and observations
On 29 September 2020, Gregory J. Leonard discovered a new comet about 21.5 in apparent magnitude from images taken from the 1.5 m (59 in) telescope of the Mount Lemmon Observatory.[1] Orbital calculations showed it had reached its most recent perihelion on 23 November 2020, and it has frequent close passes with Jupiter, where the comet had passed about 0.064 AU (9.6 million km) from the giant planet in 1983,[4] reducing its orbital period from 13.2 years to just 6.82 years.[3]
In 2022, Maik Meyer linked 449P with the previously lost comet, X/1987 A2,[8] which was discovered by Robert H. McNaught and Malcolm Hartley from the Siding Spring Observatory on 5 January 1987.[7][3] This precovery image of the comet was not found until March 1987,[9] hence precise follow-up observations were not possible at the time.[6] Subsequently, scientists have also identified P/2013 Y6 as another previous apparition of the comet, which was observed from the Mauna Kea Observatory between 2013 and 2014.[2]
The comet will next return to the inner Solar System on 25 September 2027.[5]
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References
External links
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