12P/Pons-Brooks

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12P/Pons-Brooks
Discovery
Discovered by: Jean-Louis Pons
William Robert Brooks
Discovery date: July 12, 1812
Alternate designations: 1812; 1884 I; 1954 VII
Orbital characteristics A
Aphelion distance: 33.8 AU
Perihelion distance: 0.77 AU
Semi-major axis: 17.13 AU
Eccentricity: 0.955
Orbital period: 70.9 a
Inclination: 74.2°
Last perihelion: May 22, 1954
Next perihelion (predicted): 2024

12P/Pons-Brooks is the designation for a periodic comet with a period of 71 years.

[edit] Discovery

12P/Pons-Brooks was discovered on July 12, 1812 by Jean-Louis Pons. Independently, it was later found by Vincent Wisniewski on August 1, and Alexis Bouvard on August 2 the same year. In 1883 it was accidentally "discovered" by William Robert Brooks and later identified as the same object. Shortly after its initial discovery it was found to have an orbital period of about 70 years with an error of about 5 years. Johann Franz Encke determined a definitive orbit with a period of 70.68 years. This orbit was used to generate an ephemeris for the 1883 return, but searches were unsuccessful, until it was rediscovered by Brooks.


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