Observations of the tail of C/1887 B1, Knowledge, Nov. 1887
Discovery
Discovered by
J. M. Thome
Discovery date
January 19, 1887
Designations
Alternative designations
1887 I; 1887a; Great Southern Comet of 1887; the "Headless Wonder"; Thome's Comet
Orbital characteristics
Observation arc
8 days (very short arc)[1]
Number of observations
15
Orbit type
Kreutz sungrazer
Perihelion
0.00483 AU (723 thousand km)[1][2]
Eccentricity
1.0 (assumed)[1]
Max. orbital speed
606.1 km/s @ perihelion[3]
Inclination
144.383°
Last perihelion
January 11, 1877
The Great Southern Comet of 1887, or C/1887 B1 using its International Astronomical Union (IAU) designation, was a bright comet seen from the Southern Hemisphere during January 1887. Later calculations indicated it to be part of the Kreutz Sungrazing group. It came to perihelion (closest approach to the center of the Sun) on 11 January 1877 at a distance of 0.00483 AU (723 thousand km) with a velocity of 606.1 km/s.[3] Since the Sun has a radius of 696000 km, the comet passed about 27000 km from the surface of the Sun.
A curious feature of the comet was that few, if any observations were made of a cometary head or nucleus. As a result, some older astronomical texts refer to it as the "Headless Wonder".[4]
^Orbital elements given by Sekanina, QJRAS, 19 (1978), 52-3
^ ab"Horizons Batch for C/1887 B1 on 11 January 1877" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
^Bortle, J. The Bright Comet Chronicles, International Comet Quarterly, 1998
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