12P/Pons-Brooks
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| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Jean-Louis Pons William Robert Brooks |
| Discovery date: | July 12, 1812 |
| Alternate designations: | 1812; 1884 I; 1954 VII |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Aphelion distance: | 33.8 AU |
| Perihelion distance: | 0.77 AU |
| Semi-major axis: | 17.13 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.955 |
| Orbital period: | 70.9 a |
| Inclination: | 74.2° |
| Last perihelion: | May 22, 1954 |
| Next perihelion (predicted): | 2024 |
12P/Pons-Brooks is the designation for a periodic comet with a period of 71 years.
[edit] Discovery
12P/Pons-Brooks was discovered on July 12, 1812 by Jean-Louis Pons. Independently, it was later found by Vincent Wisniewski on August 1, and Alexis Bouvard on August 2 the same year. In 1883 it was accidentally "discovered" by William Robert Brooks and later identified as the same object. Shortly after its initial discovery it was found to have an orbital period of about 70 years with an error of about 5 years. Johann Franz Encke determined a definitive orbit with a period of 70.68 years. This orbit was used to generate an ephemeris for the 1883 return, but searches were unsuccessful, until it was rediscovered by Brooks.
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|---|---|---|
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