113P/Spitaler

113P/Spitaler
Spitaler's Comet as seen from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 1 December 2022
Discovery[1]
Discovered byRudolf Ferdinand Spitaler
Discovery siteVienna, Austria
Discovery date17 November 1890
Designations
P/1890 W1, P/1993 U2
  • 1890 VII, 1994 III
  • 1890f, 1993r
Orbital characteristics[3][4]
Epoch31 March 2024 (JD 2460400.5)
Observation arc132.41 years
Number of
observations		1,022
Aphelion5.246 AU
Perihelion2.143 AU
Semi-major axis3.694 AU
Eccentricity0.41994
Orbital period7.101 years
Inclination5.775°
306.66°
Argument of
periapsis		115.63°
Mean anomaly92.763°
Last perihelion1 June 2022
Next perihelion11 July 2029[2]
TJupiter2.929
Earth MOID1.138 AU
Jupiter MOID0.477 AU
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
1.15 km (0.71 mi)[5]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		14.7
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		19.6[6]

Comet Spitaler is a Jupiter-family comet with a 7.1-year orbit around the Sun. It is the only comet discovered by Austrian astronomer, Rudolf Ferdinand Spitaler.

Observational history

1890 apparition and discovery

While attempting to observe C/1890 V1 (Zona), which was just discovered about two days earlier,[7] Rudolf Ferdinand Spitaler spotted a new comet on the night of 17 November 1890.[1] He described it as a very nebulous object positioned very close on where Zona's Comet was predicted to be, albeit fainter than the latter.[8] Both comets were found within the constellation Auriga.[a]

It was last detected on 4 February 1891, when Spitaler described it as very faint and diffuse.[b]

Loss and recovery

Spitaler, together with George Mary Searle, James Francis Tennant, and John Russell Hind, calculated orbits based on the observations, but despite predictions of a return in 1897, it was lost and remained so for the next 102 years. Around this time, the comet made two close approaches to Jupiter between 1947 and 1983, at distances of 1.318 AU (197.2 million km) and 0.401 AU (60.0 million km), respectively.[3]

On 24 October 1993, the comet was rediscovered by James Vernon Scotti from the Spacewatch survey.[6] It was confirmed as the same object as Spitaler's Comet when Brian G. Marsden calculated its orbit and connected its 1890 and 1994 apparitions.[9] It was then subsequently observed on every apparition up to the present day.[10]

Physical characteristics

Photometric observations of the comet until 2000 revealed that the nucleus of Spitaler's Comet has an effective radius of around 1.15 km (0.71 mi).[5]

Notes

  1. ^ Spitaler's Comet was reportedly discovered at the following coordinates: α = 5h 27.3m , δ = 33° 37′[7]
  2. ^ Final reported position in 1891 were: α = 5h 04.6m , δ = 39° 56′[7]

References

  1. ^ a b R. F. Spitaler; E. Weiss. "Entdeckung von zwei neuen Cometen" [Discovery of two new comets]. Astronomische Nachrichten (in German). 126 (6): 95–96. doi:10.1002/asna.18911260608.
  2. ^ "Horizons Batch for 113P/Spitaler on 2029-Jul-11" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 21 June 2022. (JPL#51 Soln.date: 2022-Feb-22)
  3. ^ a b "113P/Spitaler – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  4. ^ "113P/Spitaler Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. ^ a b G. Tancredi; J. A. Fernández; H. Rickman; J. Licandro (2006). "Nuclear magnitudes and the size distribution of Jupiter family comets". Icarus. 182 (2): 527–549. Bibcode:2006Icar..182..527T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.01.007.
  6. ^ a b J. V. Scotti; S. Nakano; S. M. Larson; et al. (28 October 1993). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Periodic Comet Spitaler (1993r)". IAU Circular. 5885 (1). Bibcode:1993IAUC.5885....1S.
  7. ^ a b c G. W. Kronk (2003). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 2: 1800–1899. Cambridge University Press. pp. 660–662. ISBN 978-0-521-58505-7.
  8. ^ R. F. Spitaler. "Comet Spitaler (1890 Nov. 16)". Astronomische Nachrichten. 126 (8): 121–122. Bibcode:1890AN....126..121S. doi:10.1002/asna.18911260808.
  9. ^ B. G. Marsden; G. V. Williams (1995). Catalogue of Cometary Orbits (10th ed.). IAU. Bibcode:1995cco..book.....M.
  10. ^ S. Yoshida (6 January 2024). "113P/Spitaler". aerith.net. Retrieved 20 November 2025.


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