104P/Kowal
Comet 104P/Kowal on 12 February 2022 by ZTF
Discovery
Discovered byCharles T. Kowal
Discovery date13 January 1979
Designations
Kowal 2
1979 B1, 1991 X1
Orbital characteristics
Epoch31 July 2016
Observation arc4,685 days (12.83 yr)
Number of
observations		133
Aphelion5.347 AU
Perihelion1.179 AU
Semi-major axis3.263 AU
Eccentricity0.6387
Orbital period5.90 yr
Inclination10.252°
235.421°
Argument of
periapsis		200.674°
Last perihelion11 Jan 2022[1][2]
28 March 2016
4 May 2010
Next perihelion2027-Oct-12[3]
TJupiter2.794
Earth MOID0.2004 AU
Jupiter MOID0.1687 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions2 ± 1 km[4]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		10.5 mag

104P/Kowal, also known as Kowal 2, is a periodic Jupiter-family comet discovered by Charles T. Kowal in 1979. The orbit was confirmed after new sightings in 1991 and 1998.[2]

The comet was in a orbit with a perihelion distance of 1.50 AU and an orbital period of 6.38 years until an approach to Jupiter on 15 January 1996 reduced both to 1.40 AU and 6.18 years respectively.[5] A further encounter with Jupiter on 4 July 2007 at a distance of 0.300 AU reduced the perihelion distance to 1.18 AU and the orbital period to 5.90 years. One more close approach to Jupiter on 30 May 2019 reduced the perihelion distance to 1.07 AU and orbital period to 5.74 years.[6]

In 2003, Gary Kronk and Brian Marsden noticed that an object observed by Leo Boethin in 1973 was actually 104P/Kowal. From Boethin's report, it was apparent that comet Kowal 2 had been in a short, major outburst to apparent magnitude 9.5 in 1973.[7]

During the 1997–98 apparition, the comet was brighter than expected, reaching an apparent magnitude of 13 in mid January.[5] The comet wasn't observed during the 2010 apparition.[2] During the 2022 apparition, it brightened to a magnitude of 9.2 according to Chris Wyatt.[8]

References

  1. ^ "104P/Kowal Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  2. ^ a b c Yoshida, Seiichi (2016-01-24). "104P/Kowal 2". Aerith Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  3. ^ "Horizons Batch for 104P/Kowal 2 (90000956) on 2027-Oct-12" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-07-06. (JPL#K222/11 Soln.date: 2023-Apr-05)
  4. ^ Lamy, Philippe L.; Toth, Imre; Fernández, Yanga R.; Weaver, Harold A. (2004). "The Sizes, Shapes, Albedos, and Colors of Cometary Nuclei". Comet II (PDF). University of Arizona Press. p. 238.
  5. ^ a b Kronk, Gary. "104P/Kowal 2". cometography.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Small-Body Database Lookup: 104P/Kowal 2". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  7. ^ Marsden, Brian G. (11 December 2003). "IAUC 8255: 104P". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  8. ^ Yoshida, Seiichi. "Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2022 Mar. 12: North)". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 16 July 2023.


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