C / 240 V1
C / 240 V1 [i] | |
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Properties of the orbit ( animation ) | |
Orbit type | parabolic |
Numerical eccentricity | 1.0 |
Perihelion | ~ 0.37 AU |
Inclination of the orbit plane | ~ 44 ° |
Perihelion | ~ November 10, 240 |
Orbital velocity in the perihelion | ~ 69 km / s |
history | |
Explorer | |
Date of discovery | November 10, 240 |
Older name | 240 |
Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . Please also note the note on comet articles . |
C / 240 V1 is a comet that could be seen with the naked eye in 240 . It is counted among the " Great Comets " due to its extraordinary brightness .
Discovery and observation
The Chinese chronicles Sòng Shū from the 5th century and Chén Shū from the 7th century report that on November 10, 240 in the west a "broom star" appeared in the heavenly region of Wěi. The information suggests that the comet could be seen deep in the evening sky in the constellation Snake Bearer after sunset . After the Sòng Shū the tail reached a length of 30 ° and after the Chén Shū of 20 °. In the following weeks, the comet moved through the constellation Capricorn , passing Venus at a short distance . He could be observed until December 19, when he was in the constellation Aquarius .
Williams gave the time of the appearance of the comet from November 5th to December 14th.
The comet reached a brightness of 1–2 mag around November 20th .
Orbit
For the comet, Johann Karl Burckhardt could only determine a very uncertain parabolic orbit that is inclined by around 44 ° to the ecliptic from the observations over 39 days . At the point of the orbit closest to the sun ( perihelion ), which the comet passed around November 10, 240, it was located at a distance of about 55 million km from the sun in the area of the orbit of Mercury . By November 29, it could have come close to both Venus to about 74 million km and about 4 hours later to Earth to just under 1 AU / 147 million km.
Due to the uncertain initial data, no statement can be made as to whether and, if so, when the comet could return to the inner solar system .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ AG Pingré: Cométographie ou Traité historique et théorique des comètes. Tome I. Imprimerie Royale, Paris 1783, pp. 298, 590 ( PDF; 56.49 MB ).
- ^ Gary W. Kronk : Cometography - A Catalog of Comets, Volume 1. Ancient - 1799. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1999, ISBN 978-0-521-58504-0 , pp. 52-53.
- Jump up ↑ J. Williams: Observations of Comets, from BC 611 to AD 1640. Strangeways and Walden, London 1871, p. 21 ( PDF, 20.93 MB ).
- ↑ DK Yeomans: NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics: Great Comets in History. Retrieved July 7, 2016 .
- ↑ C / 240 V1 in the Small-Body Database of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (English).
- ↑ A. Vitagliano: SOLEX 11.0. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015 ; accessed on May 2, 2014 .