79P/du Toit–Hartley

79P/du Toit–Hartley

Discovery
Discovered by	Daniel du Toit, Boyden Observatory, South Africa and Malcolm Hartley of the UK Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring, Australia
Discovery date	9 April 1945
Alternative designations	1987 IX, 1986q, 79P/1982 C1-A, 1982 II, 1982b, 79P/1945 G1, 1945 II, 1945c
Orbital characteristics ^A
Epoch	9 December 2014
Aphelion	4.83 AU
Perihelion	1.1233 AU
Semi-major axis	2.9460 AU
Eccentricity	0.6187
Orbital period	5.06 a
Inclination	3.145°
Last perihelion	23 Aug 2013
Next perihelion	13 Sep 2018

79P/du Toit–Hartley or du Toit 2 is a periodic comet, now divided into two parts, in the Solar System with an orbital period of 5.06 years.

It was originally discovered by Daniel du Toit at the Boyden Observatory, Bloemfontein, South Africa (then administered by Harvard College) on 9 April 1945 with a brightness of apparent magnitude 10.^[1][2]

Uncertainties in the calculation of the orbit meant the comet was lost until rediscovered by Malcolm Hartley of the UK Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring, Australia in 1982, when it was found to have broken into two parts, probably in 1976. Both parts had a brightness of magnitude 17. Observed in 1987, it was missed in 1992 but rediscovered by astronomers at Los Molinos Observatory, Uruguay on 4 March 2003 at magnitude 17.

See also

• List of numbered comets

References

1. "79P/du Toit-Hartley". Cometography. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
2. "Elements and Ephemeris for 79P/du Toit-Hartley". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 25 February 2015.