79P/du Toit–Hartley

79P/du Toit–Hartley
Discovery
Discovered byDaniel du Toit, Boyden Observatory, South Africa and Malcolm Hartley of the UK Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring, Australia
Discovery date9 April 1945
Designations
1987 IX, 1986q, 79P/1982 C1-A, 1982 II, 1982b, 79P/1945 G1, 1945 II, 1945c
Orbital characteristics
Epoch9 December 2014
Aphelion4.83 AU
Perihelion1.1233 AU
Semi-major axis2.9460 AU
Eccentricity0.6187
Orbital period5.06 a
Inclination3.145°
Last perihelion13 Sep 2018[1]
23 Aug 2013
Next perihelion2023-Sep-30[2][3]

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. It next comes to perihelion in September 2023 but is only expected to reach about apparent magnitude 18.[3] It will be less than 90 degrees from the Sun from February 2023 until June 2024. On 26 May 2024 it will be 2.7 AU from the Sun and Earth.[4]

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

References

  1. ^ MPC
  2. ^ "Horizons Batch for 79P-B/du Toit-Hartley (90000843) on 2023-Sep-30" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2022-06-27. (JPL#17 Soln.date: 2021-May-04)
  3. ^ a b Seiichi Yoshida (2022-12-10). "79P/du Toit-Hartley". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  4. ^ "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)
  5. ^ "79P/du Toit-Hartley". Cometography. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2015.


Numbered comets
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78P/Gehrels 		79P/du Toit–Hartley Next
80P/Peters–Hartley


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