C/1911 N1 (Kiess)

C/1911 N1 (Kiess)
Comet Kiess photographed by Ferdinand Quénisset from the Flammarion Observatory on 29 July 1911
Discovery
Discovered byCarl Clarence Kiess
Discovery siteLick Observatory
Discovery date6 July 1911
Designations
1911b[1]
1911 II
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch30 July 1911 (JD 2419247.5)
Observation arc71 days
Number of
observations		86
Aphelion366 AU
Perihelion0.684 AU
Semi-major axis184 AU
Eccentricity0.9963
Orbital period2,490 years
Inclination148.42°
158.67°
Argument of
periapsis		110.37°
Last perihelion30 June 1911
TJupiter-0.844
Earth MOID0.003 AU
Physical characteristics[3]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		7.4
5.0
(1911 apparition)

C/1911 N1 (Kiess) is a non-periodic comet discovered by Carl Clarence Kiess on 6 July 1911. The comet has been identified as the parent body of the Aurigids meteor shower.

Observational history

The comet was discovered by Carl Clarence Kiess at Lick Observatory on a photographic plate obtained in the morning hours of 6 July 1911 with the Crocker photographic telescope. The comet appeared as a distorted nebulous object with a short tail. The presence of the comet was confirmed visually the next day.[4] The comet had a well condensed nucleus and a faint tail. In photographs the tail was four degrees long. The comet then was of seventh magnitude and moving southwards.[4] A preliminary orbit suggested the comet was past its perihelion upon discovery and it was calculated that it would approach Earth at a distance of 0.27 AU (40 million km; 25 million mi) on 20 August.[5] On 19 August the comet was reported to be visible with naked eye, peaking at an estimated apparent magnitude of 5.[6]

The comet had been suggested in 1911 to be the return of comet C/1790 A1 (Herschel), also known by its old designation, 1790 I.[1][7] However, further calculations revealed that the orbit of comet Kiess had an eccentricity too high for an orbital period of 122 years, with the orbit calculated by Louis Lindsey in 1932 indicating an orbital period of 1,903 years.[8]

Meteor shower

The comet has been identified as the parent body of the Aurigids meteor shower that takes place between 25 August and 8 September every year, usually with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of 7 meteors per hour. The shower has been known to have experienced outbursts in 1935, 1986, 1994, and 2007. The 2007 outburst was the first predicted for a shower associated with a long period comet and reached a peak ZHR of about 200 meteors per hour. The annual shower and the outbursts have slightly different radiant points, indicating the presence of different components in the debris stream.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  2. ^ "C/1911 N1 (Kiess) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  3. ^ P. Jenniskens; D. S. Lauretta; M. C. Towner; S. Heathcote; E. Jehin; et al. (2021). "Meteor showers from known long-period comets". Icarus. 365: 114469. Bibcode:2021Icar..36514469J. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114469.
  4. ^ a b C. C. Kiess (1911). "Note on the Discovery of Comet b 1911 (Kiess)". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 23 (137): 203. doi:10.1086/122077. ISSN 0004-6280. JSTOR 40711174.
  5. ^ S. Einarsson; W. F. Meyer (1911). "Preliminary Elements and Ephemeris of Comet b 1911 (Kiess)". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 23 (137): 203–204. Bibcode:1911PASP...23..203E. doi:10.1086/122076. ISSN 0004-6280. JSTOR 40711175.
  6. ^ R. T. A. Innes (1911). "Kiess's Comet, 1911 (b)". Transvaal Observatory Circular. 11: 102. Bibcode:1911TvOC...11R.102I.
  7. ^ P. H. Ling (1911). "The Possible-Identity of the Kiess Comet" (PDF). Nature. 87 (2190): 516. Bibcode:1911Natur..87..516L. doi:10.1038/087516d0.
  8. ^ L. Lindsey (1932). "Definitive orbit of comet 1911b". The Astronomical Journal. 42: 109. Bibcode:1932AJ.....42..109L. doi:10.1086/105126.
  9. ^ P. Atreya; A. A. Christou (2009). "The 2007 Aurigid meteor outburst" (PDF). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 393 (4): 1493–1497. Bibcode:2009MNRAS.393.1493A. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.14243.x.