177P/Barnard

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177P/Barnard
Discovery
Discovered by: Edward Emerson Barnard
Discovery date: June 24, 1889
Alternate designations: 177P/1889 M1; 1889 III; 1889c; 177P/2006 M3
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch: August 13, 2006 (JD 2453960.5)
Aphelion distance: 47.4317 AU
Perihelion distance: 1.1072 AU
Semi-major axis: 24.2695 AU
Eccentricity: 0.9544
Orbital period: 119.561 a
Inclination: 31.2175°
Last perihelion: June 28, 2006
Next perihelion (predicted): March 22, 2126

Comet 177P/Barnard, also known as Barnard 2, is a periodic comet in the solar system.

The comet, also designated P/2006 M3, discovered by Edward Emerson Barnard on June 24, 1889, has been rediscovered after 116 years and as of September 1, 2006 is brighter than expected at 8th magnitude in the constellation Draco. Perihelion was August 28, 2006.

Of Barnard's other two periodic comets, the first, D/1884 O1 (Barnard 1) was last seen on November 20, 1884 and is thought to have disintegrated. The last, D/1892 T1 (Barnard 3) marked the beginning of a new era in cometary astronomy, as it was the first to be discovered by photography. It was last seen on December 8, 1892, and is now considered lost.

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