C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)

C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)
Discovery
Discovered by A. E. Thatcher
Discovery date April 5, 1861
Alternative
designations		 1861 I
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch JD 2400920.5
(May 25, 1861)
Aphelion 110 AU
(beyond Eris)
Perihelion 0.9207 AU
Semi-major axis 55.6 AU
Eccentricity 0.983
Orbital period 415 a
Inclination 79.77°
Last perihelion 1861-Jun-03[1]
Next perihelion 2280 ±5

Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) is a long-period comet with roughly a 415-year orbit discovered by A. E. Thatcher. It is responsible for the Lyrid meteor shower.[2] Carl Wilhelm Baeker also independently found this comet. The comet passed about 0.335 AU (50,100,000 km; 31,100,000 mi) from the Earth on 1861-May-05 and last came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 1861-Jun-03.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  2. ↑ Arter, T. R.; Williams, I. P. (1997). "The mean orbit of the April Lyrids". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 289 (3): 721–728. Bibcode:1997MNRAS.289..721A. doi:10.1093/mnras/289.3.721.


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