P/1997 B1
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Takao Kobayashi |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 2450506.5 (February 27, 1997) |
|
| Aphelion | 15.1 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.054 AU last perihelion: January 30–31, 1997 |
| 8.6 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.761 |
| 25.17 a[1] | |
| Inclination | 12.4° |
On January 30 and January 31, 1997, Takao Kobayashi observed an object, P/1997 B1 (Kobayashi), which was initially thought to be a minor planet and was reported to the IAU as such by S. Nakano. Over the next few days, the object was observed to be in a cometary orbit. W. Offutt later showed it to be a comet.[2] This is the first amateur CCD discovery of a comet and is also the faintest amateur discovery. It demonstrates that amateur astronomers still have an important role to play in the field of astronomical object discovery.[3]
See Also
References
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