157P/Tritton
{{Short description|Periodic comet with 6-year orbit}}
{{Infobox comet
| name=157P/Tritton
| image= 157P 2022-09-05 image ZTF-sso-615-zr-fov-4.7arcmin.png
| caption = Comet 157P/Tritton on 5 September 2022 by ZTF with fragment B visible
| discoverer=Keith Tritton
| discovery_date=February 11, 1978
| designations=1977 XIII
| epoch=2023-02-25
| semimajor=3.545 AU
| perihelion=1.572 AU
| aphelion=5.519 AU
| eccentricity=0.5566
| period=6.675 a
| inclination= 12.42°
| last_p=2022-Sep-09
June 10, 2016
February 20, 2010
| next_p=2028-Mar-07 (B)
2029-May-18
}}
157P/Tritton is a periodic comet with a 6-year orbital period. Fragment B was first observed on 21 August 2022.
Observational history
Keith Tritton (U. K. Schmidt Telescope Unit, Coonabarabran) discovered this comet on a deep IIIa-J exposure made with the 122-cm Schmidt telescope on 1978 February 11.66.{{cite web|url=http://cometography.com/pcomets/157p.html |title=157P/Tritton |access-date=2006-02-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316031404/http://cometography.com/pcomets/157p.html |archive-date=2006-03-16 }}
The comet was not detected during the predicted returns of 1984, 1990 or 1996 and was presumed lost. However, on 2003 October 6.44, using CCD images obtained with a 0.12-m refractor, C. W. Juels (Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA) and P. Holvorcem (Campinas, Brazil) detected a comet that proved to be on a similar orbit to the lost comet. B. G. Marsden was able to calculate a new orbit, published in IAU Circular No. 8215, issued 2003 October 7, which confirmed that it was indeed identical to comet Tritton.
The comet was also recovered at its 2010, 2016, and 2022 apparitions. On 2 October 2022 the discovery of a new fragment of the comet was published in MPEC 2022-T23. With a smaller orbit, fragment B should come to perihelion in 2028 March and the primary fragment should come to perihelion in 2029 May ({{time interval|2028-03-07|2029-05-18|abbr=on}} later).
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; font-size: 0.9em;"
|+Orbital Elements for Epoch 2023-Feb-25 ! Component ! Period ! Semi-major axis ! Next |
| 157P
| 6.68 || 1.572 || 5.519 || 3.545 || 0.5566 || 12.42° || 2029-May-18 |
|---|
| 157P-B
| 5.49 || 1.552 || 4.671 || 3.111 || 0.5012 || 12.43° || 2028-Mar-07 |
References
{{Reflist|refs=
|title=157P/Tritton Orbit
|url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=157P
|publisher=Minor Planet Center
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230430154859/http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=157P
|archive-date=2023-04-30
|url-status=live
|access-date=2017-04-09}}
|date=2012-03-24
|title=157P/Tritton (NK 1900)
|publisher=OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections
|author=Syuichi Nakano
|author-link=Syuichi Nakano
|url=http://www.oaa.gr.jp/~oaacs/nk/nk1900.htm
|access-date=2012-02-25}}
|title=MPEC 2022-T23 : New Fragment of comet 157P/TRITTON
|publisher=IAU Minor Planet Center
|date=2022-10-02
|url=https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K22/K22T23.html
|access-date=2022-10-19}}
|title=Horizons Batch for 157P-B/Tritton (90001088) on 2028-Mar-07
|publisher=JPL Horizons
|type=Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive
|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/api/horizons.api?format=text&COMMAND=%27DES%3D157P-B%3BCAP%27&START_TIME=%272028-Mar-05%27&STOP_TIME=%272028-Mar-09%27&STEP_SIZE=%273%20hours%27&QUANTITIES=%2719%27
|accessdate=2023-04-29}} (JPL#4/Soln.date: 2022-Nov-15 arc: 38 days)
|title=Horizons Batch for 157P/Tritton (90001087) on 2029-May-18
|publisher=JPL Horizons
|type=Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive
|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%2790001087%27&START_TIME=%272029-May-16%27&STOP_TIME=%272029-May-20%27&STEP_SIZE=%273%20hours%27&QUANTITIES=%2719%27
|accessdate=2023-04-29}} (Soln.date: 2023-Apr-28)
|title=157P-B @ epoch 2023-Feb-25
|publisher=JPL Horizons
|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27157P-B%27&TABLE_TYPE=%27ELEMENTS%27&START_TIME=%272023-02-25%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-05-25%27&STEP_SIZE=%274%20months%27&CENTER=%27@Sun%27&OUT_UNITS=%27AU-D%27
|accessdate=2023-05-01}}
}}
External links
- [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=157P;orb=1 Orbital simulation] from JPL (Java) / [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=157P Horizons Ephemeris]
- [http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0157P/index.html 157P/Tritton] – Seiichi Yoshida @ aerith.net
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060316031404/http://cometography.com/pcomets/157p.html 157P at Gary W. Kronk's Cometography]
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