C/1957 U1 (Latyshev–Wild–Burnham)

C/1957 U1 (Latyshev–Wild–Burnham)
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered byIvan N. Latyshev
Paul Wild
Robert Burnham, Jr.
Discovery siteAskhabad, USSR
Bern, Switzerland
Arizona, USA
Discovery date16–19 October 1957
Designations
1957f[3]
1957 IX
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch5 December 1957 (JD 2436177.6293)
Observation arc23 days
Earliest precovery date2 October 1957
Number of
observations		9
Perihelion0.539 AU
Eccentricity~1.000
Inclination156.715°
210.875°
Argument of
periapsis		277.614°
Last perihelion5 December 1957
Earth MOID0.1257 AU
Physical characteristics[5]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		10.6
6.0
(1957 apparition)

Comet Latyshev–Wild–Burnham, also known as C/1957 U1, is a faint parabolic comet that was observed during the third week of October 1957. It was the first comet discovered by American astronomer Robert Burnham, Jr., which he co-discovered alongside Turkmen astronomer, Ivan N. Latyshev, and Swiss astronomer, Paul Wild.

Discovery and observations

The comet was first spotted by Ivan N. Latyshev while observing an RR Lyr variable star named X Arietis on the night of 16 October 1957.[5] It was then independently discovered by Robert Burnham, Jr. three days later, where he reported his observation to the Lowell Observatory for verification.[6] Unfavorable weather conditions prevented follow-up observations to be conducted at Lowell to confirm Burnham's find, however its existence was verified when reports came that Paul Wild spotted the comet a few hours before Burnham did.[6] Their respective discoveries were eventually announced by the International Astronomical Union on 23 October 1957.[1]

Orbit

The very few observations conducted for the comet had made orbital calculations difficult to determine. However, the prediscovery ephemerides from the Sonneberg Observatory enabled Michael P. Candy to calculate a parabolic trajectory for the comet on 23 October 1957.[1][7] This was followed-up by Brian G. Marsden and Ichiro Hasegawa a month later, however there were large differences remaining in the calculations.[8]

It made its closest approach with Earth on 21 October 1957, when it came within 0.1257 AU (18.80 million km) from our planet.[5] Based on Candy's calculations, the comet should have reached perihelion by 5 December 1957, provided it had not disintegrated beforehand.[1]

Meteor shower

In 2014, a newly discovered meteor shower consisting of 45 meteors were found to have similar mean orbits with the comet C/1957 U1, potentially indicating that the comet might have a highly eccentric elliptical orbit instead of a parabolic trajectory.[9] This meteor shower, called the Kappa Aurigids, is active between October 11–31 of each year, reaching peak activity on October 20.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d J. M. Vinter Hansen (23 October 1957). "Comet Latyshev–Wild–Burnham (1957f)". International Astronomical Union Circular (1624).
  2. ^ G. W. Kronk (28 March 2005). "Question: comet discoverer Latyshev". Groups.io. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  4. ^ "C/1957 U1 (Latyshev–Wild–Burnham) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c G. W. Kronk (2009). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 4: 1933–1959. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 543–544. ISBN 978-0-521-58507-1.
  6. ^ a b G. W. Kronk; T. Ortega. "C&MS: Robert Burnham, Jr". Cometography.com. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  7. ^ J. M. Vinter Hansen (29 October 1957). "Comet Latyshev–Wild–Burnham (1957f)". International Astronomical Union Circular (1625).
  8. ^ J. M. Vinter Hansen (23 November 1957). "Comet Latyshev–Wild–Burnham (1957f)". International Astronomical Union Circular (1629).
  9. ^ a b D. Šegon; P. Gural; Ž. Andreić; et al. (2014). "New Showers from Parent Body search across several Video Meteor Databases". WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization. 42 (2): 57–64. Bibcode:2014JIMO...42...57S.