Open AccessComet Ikeya‐Zhang rises for the NAM
Author(s) -
Asher David,
Bailey Mark,
Christou Apostolos,
McFarland John,
Muir Mark,
Rafferty Paul
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
astronomy & geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.168
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1468-4004
pISSN - 1366-8781
DOI - 10.1046/j.1468-4004.2002.43219.x
Subject(s) - comet , physics , astronomy , amateur , astrobiology , astrophysics , history , archaeology
A possible naked‐eye comet that may have been important in early cometary theory is announced by D J Asher , M E Bailey , A Christou , J McFarland , M F Muir and P P Rafferty . Early indications sugest that Comet C/2002 (Ikeya‐Zhang), discovered on 1 February 2002, may brighten to naked‐eye visibility in late March 2002. It has also been suggested that it may be identical to one of the brighter comets of the 16th or 17th centuries, namely C/1532 R1 or C/1661 C1. The first of these, observed for more than 100 days towards the end of 1532, played an important role in the development of cometary theory. The second, although identified by Halley as having an orbit similar to that of the comet C/1532 R1, was not seen on its predicted return in 1788/1789 and so was presumably unrelated. Here we present long‐term orbital integrations of C/2002 C1 which suggest that it orginated from the Oort cloud, and will be ejected again, within ˜0.3 Myr. There is a chance of 10–20% that it will end its life by falling into the Sun during a Halley‐type phase of cometary evolution. The discovery of Ikeya‐Zhang so closeto perigee by two amateur astonomers highlights the need for surveys covering both hemispheres to discover long‐period and intermediate‐period comets on Earth‐crossing orbits.