C/1986 P1 (Wilson)
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 Wilson's Comet photographed by the European Southern Observatory on 28 March 1987.[1] | |
| Discovery[2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Christine D. Wilson |
| Discovery site | Palomar Observatory |
| Discovery date | 5 August 1986 |
| Designations | |
| 1987 VII, 1986l[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch | 29 January 1987 (JD 2446824.5) |
| Observation arc | 2.68 years |
| Earliest precovery date | 4 August 1986 |
| Number of observations | 671 |
| Perihelion | 1.199 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.00031 |
| Inclination | 147.12° |
| 111.67° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 238.31° |
| Mean anomaly | –0.0003° |
| Last perihelion | 20 April 1987 |
| Earth MOID | 0.391 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.027 AU |
| Physical characteristics[5][6] | |
Mean radius | < 5.0–7.0 km (A) (upper limit) |
| 0.04 (assumed) | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 5.3 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 11.8 |
| 4.8 (1987 apparition) | |
Comet Wilson, formally designated as C/1986 P1, is a hyperbolic comet that was observed to split into two fragments in February 1988.[5] It is the only comet discovered by Canadian–American physicist, Christine D. Wilson.[7][8][9]
Observational history
[edit]Discovery
[edit]The comet was a 10th-magnitude object located within the constellation Pegasus upon discovery on 5 August 1986.[a] Christine D. Wilson described the new comet as a diffuse object with a short tail pointed towards the southeast.[2] Prediscovery images taken a day prior helped to verify the comet's existence and have follow-up observations to be conducted.[2][10]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ "The long ion tail of comet Wilson". www.eso.org. European Southern Observatory. 14 May 1987. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ a b c C. D. Wilson; G. Schwartz; R. McCrosky; C. Y. Shao; et al. (6 August 1986). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet Wilson (1986l)". IAU Circular. 4241 (1). Bibcode:1986IAUC.4241....1W.
- ^ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "C/1986 P1 (Wilson) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ a b K. J. Meech; G. P. Knopp; T. L. Farnham; D. W. Green (1995). "The Split Nucleus of Comet Wilson (C/1986 P1 = 1987 VII)". Icarus. 116 (1): 46–76. doi:10.1006/icar.1995.1113.
- ^ a b G. W. Kronk; M. Meyer; D. A. J. Seargent (2017). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 6: 1983–1993. Cambridge University Press. pp. 210–222. ISBN 978-0-521-87216-4.
- ^ J. Horowitz (29 March 1987). "A New Light in the Sky". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ M. Barber (11 September 1986). "A Star Is Born: Student Makes a Name for Herself and a New Comet". The Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ S. S. McPherson (2011). Rooftop Astronomer: A Story about Maria Mitchell. Millbrook Press. ISBN 978-0-761-38265-2.
- ^ E. Helin; S. Singer-Brewster; D. Schneeberger; S. Gerhart; C. Pollas; et al. (11 August 1986). "Comet Wilson (1987l)". IAU Circular. 4243 (1). Bibcode:1986IAUC.4243....1H.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to C/1986 P1 (Wilson).
- C/1986 P1 at the JPL Small-Body Database
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