| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Charles Dillon Perrine & Antonín Mrkos |
| Discovery date: | December 9, 1896 |
| Alternate designations: | 1896 X1; 1896 VII; 1896g; 1909 P1; 1909 III; 1909b; 1955 U1; 1955 VII; 1955i; 1962 I; 1961h; 1968 VIII; 1968h |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch: | 2002-09-03 (JD 2452520.5) |
| Aphelion: | 5.8537 AU |
| Perihelion: | 1.2872 AU |
| Semi-major axis: | 3.5705 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.6395 |
| Orbital period: | 6.75 a |
| Inclination: | 17.864° |
| Last perihelion: | September 10, 2002 (unobserved) |
| Next perihelion: | Lost |
18D/Perrine–Mrkos is a periodic comet in our solar system, originally discovered by the American-Argentine astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine (Lick Observatory, California, USA) on December 9, 1896. For some time it was thought to be a fragment of Biela's Comet.[1]
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 seen in 1969, but was not observed in its predicted 1975 or later appearances, and is now considered lost (see lost comet).
| Periodic comets (by number) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 17P/Holmes |
18D/Perrine–Mrkos | Next 19P/Borrelly |