astro.wikisort.org - Comet

20D/Westphal was a periodic comet with an orbital period of 61 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with (20 years < period < 200 years).[2] It was originally discovered by the German astronomer J. G. Westphal (Göttingen, Germany) on July 24, 1852.

20D/Westphal

Discovery
Discovered by	J. G. Westphal
Discovery date	July 24, 1852
Alternative designations	21P/1852 O1; 1852 IV; 21P/1913 S1; 1913 VI; 1913d
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch	1913-11-09 (JD 2420080.5)
Aphelion	30.030 AU
Perihelion	1.2540 AU
Semi-major axis	15.642 AU
Eccentricity	0.9198
Orbital period	61.87 yr
Inclination	40.890°
Last perihelion	January 3, 1976[1] (unobserved)
Next perihelion	May 4, 2038[1] (lost since 1913)

It was independently discovered by the American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (Constantinople) on August 9.

The comet was last seen between September 27 and November 26, 1913, first by Pablo T. Delavan (La Plata Astronomical Observatory) and then others. It was predicted to return in 1976[1] but was never observed, and is now considered a lost comet.

References

External links

• Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
• 20D/Westphal, Comet Orbit Home Page
• 20D at Kronk's Cometography
• Orbital elements, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center
• 20D/Westphal – Minor Planet Center

Numbered comets
Previous 19P/Borrelly	20D/Westphal	Next 21P/Giacobini–Zinner

На других языках

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- [en] 20D/Westphal

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[ru] 20D/Вестфаля

Комета Вестфаля (20D/Westphal) — короткопериодическая комета типа Галлея, которая была открыта 24 июля 1852 года немецким астрономом Юстусом Вестфалем в созвездии Кита. Он описал её как яркую туманность несколько угловых минут в поперечнике. Комета обладает довольно длительным периодом обращения вокруг Солнца — чуть менее 61,9 года.

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