C/1912 R1 (Gale)

C/1912 R1 (Gale)
Gale's Comet photographed by Ferdinand Quénisset on 14–16 October 1912.[1]
Discovery[2]
Discovered byWalter Frederick Gale
Discovery siteSydney, Australia
Discovery date9 September 1912
Designations
1912 II, 1912a[3]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch19 November 1912 (JD 2419725.5)
Observation arc207 days
Number of
observations
30
Perihelion0.716 AU
Eccentricity1.00045
Orbital period3.3 million years (inbound)[4]
Inclination79.810°
298.25°
Argument of
periapsis
25.623°
Mean anomaly0.0007°
Last perihelion5 October 1912
Earth MOID0.257 AU
Jupiter MOID1.523 AU
Physical characteristics[6]
Comet total
magnitude
(M1)
6.1
4.0
(1912 apparition)

C/1912 R1 (Gale) is a non-periodic comet that was observed between September 1912 and May 1913. It is the second of three comets discovered by Australian astronomer, Walter Frederick Gale.

References

  1. ^ F. Quénisset (1912). "La Comète Gale, 1912 a". L'Astronomie (in French). 26: 500–503.
  2. ^ W. F. Gale; R. Prager (1912). "Neuer Komet 1912 a (Gale)". Astronomische Nachrichten (in German). 192 (17): 291–292. doi:10.1002/asna.19121921707.
  3. ^ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  4. ^ B. G. Marsden; Z. Sekanina; E. Everhart. "New osculating orbits for 110 comets and analysis of original orbits for 200 comets". The Astronomical Journal. 83 (1): 64–71. Bibcode:1978AJ.....83...64M. doi:10.1086/112177.
  5. ^ "C/1912 R1 (Gale) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  6. ^ G. W. Kronk (2007). Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. 3: 1900–1932. Cambridge University Press. pp. 231–244. ISBN 978-0-521-58506-4.