16P/Brooks

For other comets discovered by William Robert Brooks, see Comet Brooks.
16P/Brooks
Discovery
Discovered byWilliam Robert Brooks
Discovery date7 July 1889
Designations
1889 V; 1896 VI; 1903 V;
1911 I; 1925 IX; 1932 VIII;
1939 VII; 1946 IV; 1953 V;
1960 VI; 1974 I; 1980 IX;
1987 XXIV; 1994 XXIII
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2023-02-25
Aphelion5.439 AU
Perihelion1.879 AU
Semi-major axis3.659 AU
Eccentricity0.4864
Orbital period6.99 yr
Max. orbital speed40 km/s (1886 Jupiter approach)
26 km/s (2028 perihelion)[1]
Inclination3.011°
Last perihelionApril 18, 2021[2]
June 7, 2014[3][4]
April 12, 2008
Next perihelion2028-Apr-21[1]

16P/Brooks, also known as Brooks 2, is a periodic comet discovered by William Robert Brooks on July 7, 1889, but failed to note any motion. He was able to confirm the discovery the next morning, having seen that the comet had moved north. On August 1, 1889, the famous comet hunter Edward Emerson Barnard discovered two fragments of the comet labeled "B" and "C" located 1 and 4.5 arc minutes away. On August 2, he found another four or five, but these were no longer visible the next day. On August 4, he observed two more objects, labeled "D" and "E". "E" disappeared by the next night and "D" was gone by the next week. Around mid-month, "B" grew large and faint, finally disappearing at the beginning of September. "C" managed to survive until mid-November 1889. The apparition ended on January 13, 1891. After the discovery apparition, the comet has always been over two magnitudes fainter.

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