C/1739 K1 (Zanotti)

C/1739 K1 (Zanotti)
Discovery[1]
Discovered byEustachio Zanotti
Discovery siteBologna, Italy
Discovery date28 May 1739
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch17 June 1739 (JD 2356384.416)
Observation arc82 days
Perihelion0.674 AU
Eccentricity~1.000
Inclination121.260°
211.044°
Argument of
periapsis		104.752°
Last perihelion17 June 1739
Physical characteristics[3]
3.3
(1739 apparition)

C/1739 K1 is a non-periodic comet that was discovered by Italian astronomer Eustachio Zanotti in 1739.[1] It is the parent body of the Leo Minorids meteor shower.[4]

Observational history

Zanotti spotted the comet in the constellation of Lynx on 27 May. He described it as a magnitude 3 star surrounded by nebulosity, while a tail 2 degrees long was spotted using a telescope. Zanotti followed the comet with the naked eye until 17 August, when it was only visible via a telescope. He last observed the comet the next day. It was also observed by James Bradley from 30 May to 10 June and Fuhrmann from June 8 to June 19.[3]

The parabolic orbit calculated by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille indicates it passed perihelion on 17.9 June. The comet had passed at a distance of 0.45 AU on 16 April 1739.[3] The comet has a minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth of 0.049 AU and has been associated with the Leo Minorids meteor shower.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b E. Zanotti (1739). "XV. The parabolic orbit for the comet of 1739. Observed by Signor Eustachio Zanotti at Bologna". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 41 (452): 809. doi:10.1098/rstl.1739.0145. ISSN 0261-0523. JSTOR 104378. S2CID 186214215.
  2. ^ "C/1739 K1 – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c G. W. Kronk; M. Meyer; D. A. J. Seargent (1999). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 1: Ancient–1799. Cambridge University Press. pp. 402–403. ISBN 978-0-521-58504-0.
  4. ^ P. M. Jenniskens; D. S. Lauretta; M. C. Towner; S. Heathcote; E. Jehin; et al. (2021). "Meteor showers from known long-period comets". Icarus. 365 (114469). doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114469. ISSN 0019-1035.
  5. ^ P. M. Jenniskens (2006). Meteor Showers and their Parent Comets. Cambridge University Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-316-25710-4.
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