79P/du Toit–Hartley
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Daniel du Toit Malcolm Hartley |
| Discovery site | Boyden Observatory, South Africa Siding Spring Observatory, Australia |
| Discovery date | 9 April 1945 7 February 1982 |
| Designations | |
| P/1945 G1 P/1982 C1 | |
| |
| Orbital characteristics[2][3] | |
| Epoch | 17 October 2024 (JD 2460600.5) |
| Observation arc | 79.32 years |
| Number of observations | 323 |
| Aphelion | 4.766 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.121 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 2.943 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.61920 |
| Orbital period | 5.049 years |
| Inclination | 3.149° |
| 280.52° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 281.76° |
| Mean anomaly | 74.702° |
| Last perihelion | 30 September 2023 |
| Next perihelion | 16 October 2028[1] |
| TJupiter | 2.943 |
| Earth MOID | 0.234 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.366 AU |
| Physical characteristics[2] | |
Mean diameter | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 17.4 |
79P/du Toit–Hartley or du Toit 2 is a periodic comet, now divided into two parts, in the Solar System with an orbital period of 5.06 years. Its most recent perihelion was reached on 30 September 2023.[1] It was about 2.7 AU (400 million km) from the Sun and Earth on 26 May 2024.[4]
Observational history
[edit]It was originally discovered by Daniel du Toit at the Boyden Observatory, Bloemfontein, South Africa (then administered by Harvard College) on 9 April 1945 with a brightness of apparent magnitude 10.[5]
Uncertainties in the calculation of the orbit meant the comet was lost until rediscovered by Malcolm Hartley of the UK Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring, Australia in 1982, when it was found to have broken into two parts, probably in 1976. Both parts had a brightness of magnitude 17. Observed in 1987, it was missed in 1992 but rediscovered by astronomers at Los Molinos Observatory, Uruguay on 4 March 2003 at magnitude 17. Fragment 79P-B is lost as it only has a 23-day observation arc from 1982.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Seiichi Yoshida (2022-12-10). "79P/du Toit-Hartley". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
- ^ a b "79P/du Toit–Hartley – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "79P/du Toit–Hartley Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Horizons Batch for 79P-B/du Toit-Hartley (90000843) on 2024-May-26". JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-08-05. (JPL#17 Soln.date: 2021-May-04)
- ^ "79P/du Toit-Hartley". Cometography. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
External links
[edit]- 79P/du Toit–Hartley at the JPL Small-Body Database
- 79P/du Toit–Hartley-A at the JPL Small-Body Database
- 79P/du Toit–Hartley-B at the JPL Small-Body Database
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