Polish astronomer Kacper Wierzchos has made a remarkable discovery, discovering four comets and an asteroid! Wierzchos was born in Lublin and now works at Mt. Lemmon Sky Center Observatory near Tuscon, Arizona, part of NASA’s planetary defence program. His work has led to the discovery of four comets: C/2017 K2, 4P/Faye, Roksa and 9P.
Looking up – C/2017 K2
Kacper is part of the team that searches for potentially dangerous asteroids in the Catalina Sky Survey. He lives in Tuscon, Arizona. His discovery was made by using images from the SOHO space probe.
The first discovery was made on photographic plates on September 11, 1969. The discovery team included astronomers from the Kiev University Astronomical Observatory and the Alma-Ata Astrophysical Institute in Kazakhstan. Its most recent apparition is its ninth return to our solar system. Perihelion will occur on 2021 November 2 at 1.21 au. The closest approach will be 0.42 au on November 12 – the closest comet since 1982.
The discovery of the second comet is similar to the first. It is two to three meters across. This asteroid is named 2020 CD3. It has been tracked for six weeks. It was in a geocentric orbit since 2015. It escaped into a heliocentric orbit in May 2020. It will be closer to Earth in 2044 but will not be captured in its geocentric orbit.
The fourth comet will be C/2017 K2. It was originally discovered over three years ago but will be close to the sun on 2022 December 19 at 1.80 au. It has increased in brightness since then and should be brighter than magnitude 10.0 by early March. It will pass through Ophiuchus (Feb. 1 – March 8) and Aquila (March 8-30), and will remain in the southern sky during the rest of the month.
Since the discovery of these bodies, the astronomers have been looking for their moons.
Until now, there have been only five moons of Pluto confirmed. However, this number may be higher. There are also moons of Mars. One of them, named Phobos, is thought to have been captured by a comet. Despite this, scientists still do not know whether these objects are comets.
The other two comets are classified as short-period comets. They have a well-known shape and size, but do not exhibit comet-like activity. Around one million asteroids have been discovered, with more to be found. In fact, small asteroids may enter the atmosphere of Earth and produce shooting stars. The next comet may be the most important comet ever discovered.
The second comet is 9P, which was detected by the Deep Impact mission in the early 20th century. Deep Impact did not image its surface post-impact. However, the Deep Impact mission and Deep Impact II managed to measure the comet’s nucleus. Its nucleus is seven and a half kilometres across and three and a half miles wide.
Discovering danger
The discovery of a new asteroid by Polish astronomer Dr Kacper Wierzchos is making headlines worldwide. Wierzchos has been part of the team of scientists who are trying to discover potentially dangerous asteroids. He lives in Tuscon, Arizona. While his research focuses on the solar system, his discoveries have been hailed as a major advance in the field of astronomy.
In addition to comets, Wierzchos discovered an asteroid. In his discovery, he used a telescope to study the asteroid’s activity in the distant solar system. Although he used a small telescope and a pair of binoculars to observe the comet, the images reveal a ghostly tail. Wierzchos also hopes to discover comets that are not currently known to science.
On January 17, 2017, the asteroid was first reported on comets-ml. On December 15, the asteroid appeared in a SWAN image but was only 1-2 magnitudes brighter than its absolute magnitude. This comes as no surprise since the comet had barely survived perihelion. Early April, STEREO XVIDEOS images showed it was a debris train, not an active comet. On February 19, the same imagers discovered a debris train of the comet, and it was then estimated to be of magnitude 14. But the newest images suggest a weak condensation of the comet at about 13th magnitude, which is far from its nominal G value.
The comets are mainly in the 8th to tenth magnitude range.
The discoveries of four comets and an asteroid by Dr Wierzchos are a significant milestone in the history of space science. The new discoveries will help us understand more about the origins of space and how it impacts our solar system. It will also provide us with new ideas on how to protect our planet against future comet impacts.
Leonard will spend its entire month in Gemini, well placed for evening viewing from both hemispheres. This comet will brighten steadily throughout the month, and will remain at a 9th magnitude for the rest of February and March. It is predicted that it will remain a 9th magnitude object through the whole month of February. In addition, the comet is predicted to be at the same magnitude throughout February and March.
The discovery of four comets and an asteroid came after a long search for similar objects. While Earth has a moon, asteroids are distinctly different. They have smaller masses and behave differently. The asteroid was discovered as part of a project to explore objects that orbit near our planet. The next discovery will likely be a new asteroid, but the two previously discovered objects will remain mysterious until their discovery.
The fourth comet, Don Quixote, was discovered in 1983. It was compared to comets that are more active. Observations continued until January 28, when Chris Wyatt measured it at 8.5 in a 25cm reflector. The overall light curve of the comet was consistent, suggesting that it contains H2O.
A big round to the earth
Astronomers at the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center Observatory have discovered four comets and one asteroid in recent months. A new one, called 2020 CD3, will cross the Earth’s orbit in about 10 years. In other words, the impact will be delayed for at least 10 years. Scientists are still debating the precise time of the showup
One of the comets was named Tempel. Its perihelion was 1.53 au at its discovery. It increased to 1.75 au in 1870 and 1.9 au in 1881, but its return was missed for nearly eighty years. Then it dropped to 1.69 au in 1944 and 1.53 au in 1955. The 1961 return was another missed opportunity.
Kacper Wierzchos began studying astronomy at a young age when he observed a planet in front of the solar disk. His observations captured this event and gained him international attention. His work in astronomy led to his eventual career as an astronomer. He had always dreamed of spending time alone in an observatory searching for asteroids and comets.
The next comet that Wierzchos found is named Echeclus. It orbits between Jupiter and Neptune. It is a member of the centaur group and has come close to Earth several times. Last year, Wierzchos found that Echeclus has comet-like activity. It could be ejecting carbon monoxide.
The current apparition of 67P is its ninth observed return.
Visual observers have measured its diameter to be 3 to 5′. Imagers have traced the tail to almost a degree. The brightness is expected to be around magnitude 10.5 in mid-February, fading to near-magnitude 12 by March. Its nongravitational parameters are -1.9304.
The comet C/2021 F1 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey and Pan-STARRS on Haleakala on 2021 March 19. It was classified as an asteroidal and designated A/2021 F1. Follow-up observations confirmed the comet was inactive. The comet C/2021 F1 is eight km across and has an albedo of 0.04.
The astronomers also found a new asteroid, named P/2014 Y. It is the fourth comet ever discovered by the Minor Planet Center. A team led by Womack and Wierzchos surveyed the night sky and found a comet in the process. The discovery was confirmed by the Minor Planet Center. Observations confirmed the discovery, and the orbit of the comet indicates that it entered the orbit about three years ago.
These new discoveries made it possible to compare the comet’s rotational period and gas production rate. These data indicate that Don Quixote (3552) is the weakest comet currently. These observations indicate that the comet may contain some water. In the future, further discoveries will help astronomers better understand the formation of planets and moons.