One of the most beautiful comets in the 20th century
synonymComet Kohut(Comet discovered by the European Southern Observatory on November 5, 1975)
Comet West is aAperiodic comet, considered to be one of the most beautiful comets in the 20th century.European Southern ObservatoryOfDenmarkAstronomer Richard M. West first discovered Comet West on the exposed film on November 5, 1975, and then found its trace on the film taken in August 1975.[1]
Comet West passed on February 25, 1976Perihelion, the maximum brightness reaches - 3, which can be observed with naked eyes even in the daytime,Cometary tailIt is fan-shaped, and the length of the reddish dust tail reaches 30-35 degrees.After observation, it was found that on March 5, 1975Cometary nucleusIt split into two pieces, and after a few days, the cometary nucleus further split into four pieces from March 10 to 11, 1975.In the middle of March, the brightness is 2, and the comet tail is 10 degrees long.The brightness at the end of the month is 4, and the comet tail is 5 degrees long.After the middle of April 1976, people could no longer observe Comet West with the naked eye.
Discovery process
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comet west
On November 5, 1975,European Southern ObservatoryRichard M. West ofcomet(Provisional No. 1975n), this is 1 meter on September 24Schmidt telescopeIt was found on the film exposed for 60 minutes, with brightness of 14-15, etc., and a comet tail of 10 angular seconds.It was found on the four negatives on August 10-13 after checking the previous negatives.This is after Chigu Guan in 1965Big cometLater, another bright comet, whose maximum brightness once reached - 2 or - 3, left a deep impression on people with its extended fan tail. When it was shown in the east at dawn in March 1976, it attracted many people's attention. Some domestic people who did not know the inside story also wrote letters or sent telegrams toPurple mountain observatoryconsultation.Later calculation shows that its orbit is close toparabolaWith a cycle of 558000 years.
On August 10, 1975, Richard M. West, a Danish astronomer at the European Southern Astronomical Observatory, first discovered Comet West on the exposed film.The comet passed the perihelion (the position closest to the sun) on February 25, 1976.When the comet passes through the perihelion, its distance from the sun is 6.4 °, so under the image of the sun's scattered light, the brightness (apparent magnitude) of Comet West reaches - 3.From February 25 to 27, astronomical observers reported that the comet was bright enough to be studied under the influence of sunlight.The tail of Comet West is fan-shaped, and the reddish dust tail is 30-35 ° long.After the middle of April 1976, people could no longer observe Comet West with the naked eye.
Although Comet West has a magnificent appearance, it is not affected by most of theMass mediabe careful.Part of the reason is that in 1973Comet KohutAs a result, the comet was widely predicted to be very bright at that time, but it did not come true in the end.Therefore, although scientists' predictions of Comet West are conservative, they have not attracted public attention.
Comet characteristics
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Revolution period
The orbital period of Comet West is estimated to be between 254000 and 558000 years, even 6500000 years.It is not easy for astronomers to calculate the orbit of this long-period comet, because itsCometary nucleusOnce split, the orbit that may cause revolution is not caused by gravityPerturbation。According to 2008Smithsonian Astrophysics StationThe total of 195 and 135 observations of Comet Wester and Comet West-A is 330 (218 are better).Comet C/1999 F1 has a similar orbit.
Number of tracks
2442840,5, March 3, 1976
Aphelion (Q) 13560.2171671 AU
Orbit period (P) 558000 years
Rail inclination (i) 430664 °
Last passed perihelion February 25, 1976
Next passing perihelion N/A
Stellar disintegration
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Before the comet Wester passed through the perihelion, astronomers used the observation data obtained in 28 regions (from August 10, 1975 to January 27, 1976), and the orbital period of the comet was estimated to be about 254000 years [3].Since the comet passed at a distance of 300000 kilometers from the sun, astronomers observed that the comet nucleus split into four parts.
The first report of comet nuclear fission appeared at 12:30UT on March 7, 1976, when the comet had split into two parts.Astronomer Steven O'Meara uses the 9-inch HarvardRefracting telescopeAfter observing the comet, it was reported that the other two nuclei were formed in the morning of March 18.
These fragments of comet nuclei were very few cases of comet splitting observed at that time, and the most prominent example before wasThe Great Comet of 1882。The Great Comet of 1882 wasKreutz Sungrazers One of the members of.Recently, Comet Schwarzman 3, C/1999 S4 and Comet 57/P du Toit Neujmin Delporte have all been observed to split their nuclei during their passage through the sun.
Since 2003, Comet West has been more than 50 astronomical units away from the sun.
