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18D/Perrine–Mrkos

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18D/Perrine–Mrkos
The comet on 11 October 1909 by the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory
Discovery
Discovered byCharles Dillon Perrine
Antonín Mrkos
Discovery date9 December 1896
Designations
P/1896 X1, P/1909 P1, P/1955 U1
  • 1896 VII, 1909 III
  • 1955 VII, 1962 I
  • 1968 VIII
  • 1896g, 1909b, 1955i, 1961h, 1968h
Orbital characteristics
Epoch1968-10-31 (JD 2440160.5)
Observation arc7 years
(Not observed in 57 years)[1]
Aphelion5.85 AU
Perihelion1.272 AU
Semi-major axis3.56 AU
Eccentricity0.6426
Orbital period6.72 yr
Inclination17.7759°
Last perihelion2025-Jan-01?[2][3]
(unobserved)
Next perihelion2026-Jun-18?[4]
(Kinoshita)
2032-Sep-21?[5]
(Horizons)

18D/Perrine–Mrkos is a periodic comet in the Solar System, originally discovered by the American-Argentine astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine (Lick Observatory, California, United States) on December 9, 1896. For some time it was thought to be a fragment of Biela's Comet.[6]

It was considered lost after the 1909 appearance, but was rediscovered by the Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos (Skalnate Pleso Observatory, Slovakia) on October 19, 1955, using ordinary binoculars. It was later confirmed as 18D by Leland E. Cunningham (Leuschner Observatory, University of California, Berkeley).

The comet was last observed during the 1968 perihelion passage when it passed 0.3144 AU (47,030,000 km; 29,230,000 mi) from the Earth.[7] The comet has not been observed during the following perihelion passages:[2][4]

  • 1975 Aug 2
  • 1982 May 16 / 1982 May 14
  • 1989 Feb 28 / 1998 Feb 24
  • 1995 Dec 6 (apmag 19?) / 1995 Nov 29
  • 2002 Sept 10 (apmag 20?) / 2002 Aug 31
  • 2009 Apr 17 (apmag 24?) / 2009 Mar 10
  • 2017 Feb 26 (apmag 24?) / 2017 Oct 29
  • 2025 Jan 1 (apmag 23?) / 2026 June 18(?) with the difference in perihelion estimates being 533 days

The next predicted perihelion passage could be in 2026[4] or 2032,[2][5] but the comet is currently considered lost as it has not been seen since Jan 1969 (57 years ago).[1]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "18D/Perrine–Mrkos Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Seiichi Yoshida (19 September 2009). "18D/Perrine-Mrkos". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 18D/Perrine-Mrkos (90000291) on 2025-Jan-01" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023. (JPL#J682/18 Soln.date: 2002-Feb-22)
  4. 1 2 3 K. Kinoshita (27 February 2003). "18D/Perrine-Mrkos past, present and future orbital elements". Comet Orbit. Retrieved 10 April 2026. (Kinoshita Orbit1 for 2026 perihelion)
  5. 1 2 "Horizons Batch for 18D/Perrine-Mrkos (90000291) on 2032-Sep-21" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 26 September 2025. (JPL#J682/18 Soln.date: 2002-Feb-22)
  6. ↑ Kronk, Gary W. (2001–2005). "18D/Perrine-Mrkos". Archived from the original on 5 April 2001. Retrieved 9 June 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)()
  7. ↑ "JPL SBDB: 18D/Perrine-Mrkos" (1968-12-26 last obs). Archived from the original on 14 November 2020.
[edit]
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