Comet Section - Annual Report 1998
Comet discoveries reached a new
peak during the 1997 – 98 session thanks to the SOHO spacecraft and several
asteroid search patrols. A mammoth 63
comets were assigned provisional designations and one further SOHO comet has
yet to receive one. Five were
recoveries of periodic comets, four were new discoveries by amateurs and 55, of
which four were periodic, were new discoveries by professionals. SOHO found the majority of them (41), and of
these all but two were Kreutz group sungrazers. CCD asteroid search teams found a further twelve and two were by
Schmidt survey teams. Six comets
received new permanent numbers. SOHO
now has the record number of discoveries (55) but control of the spacecraft was
lost in late June and it is probably lost.
The Lincoln Laboratory Near Earth Asteroid Research Project (LINEAR) is
proving very prolific at discovering comets and has already found eight in only
four months of operation.
Thankfully no great comets have
appeared during the year, although the first SOHO comet observed from the
ground (1998 J1) did come close.
Observations of comet Hale-Bopp (1995 O1) are still coming in and there
are now over 3200 magnitude observations and over 750 drawings, photographs and
images logged in the section files.
Over 20 other comets have been visible to members, though few observers
attempt them when fainter than 11th magnitude. Light curves and observations of comets were
displayed at the Exhibition Meeting in June and are published in the Section
newsletter. Guy Hurst has continued to
publish the Section’s observations in The Astronomer magazine and they have
also appeared in the International Comet Quarterly.
Papers on the comets of 1991 and
1992 by the Director and a paper on comet Hyakutake by Nick James were
published in the Journal. Papers on the
comets of 1993 and 1994 by the Director and on comet Bennett by Michael Hendrie
were accepted for publication. The
Director prepared two issues of the section newsletter ‘The Comet’s Tale’ and
the comets section of the 1999 Handbook.
Exchanges of our newsletter with numerous overseas comet-observing
groups continued and many now contribute their observations by e-mail. The Director helped several professional
astronomers with research inquiries.
The Section World Wide Web pages continue to provide up to date
information and are used by many observers and professionals. Around 50 members attended the Section meeting
held in Cambridge in February.
Sadly the deaths of Section
members Stan Milbourn and Paul Doherty occurred during the session and their
obituaries have appeared in the Journal.
The comet Section's Keedy prize for 1997 was presented to Melvyn Taylor
at the Birmingham ‘out of London’ meeting.
Thanks are due to David Keedy for making this award possible. Two
Section members were again successful in obtaining Ridley grants: Gabriel Oksa
received one to purchase a CCD camera and Chris Taylor one to purchase digital
setting circles.
Jonathan
Shanklin
Director
Section Officials 1997 - 98
Director Jonathan
Shanklin
Assistant
Director Guy
Hurst
CCD
Advisor Nick
James
Photograpic
Advisor Michael
Hendrie