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Comet 12P/PONS-BROOKS

 Comet 12P/PONS-BROOKS - Gary Kronk’s Cometography

Photometric data obtained by use of FOCAS-II software

                                   10x10  20x20  30x30  40x40  50x50  60x60   SNR   SB   COD

OBJECT        DATE       TIME        +/-    +/-    +/-    +/-    +/-    +/-     N  FWHM  CAT

------------  ---------- --------  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----  ----  ---

12P           18/05/2023 01:01:20  17.82  17.35  17.23                        8.9  17.9  B96

12P           18/05/2023 01:01:20*  0.28   0.49   0.71                          2   3.0  Gai

12P           04/06/2023 23:34:19  17.58  17.18  17.17  17.11                 9.7  17.5  B96

12P           04/06/2023 23:34:19*  0.13   0.19   0.22   0.10                   2   3.1  Gai

12P           03/08/2023 21:34:11  15.85  14.76  14.07  13.56  13.17  12.85  14.0  18.3  B96

12P           03/08/2023 21:34:11*  0.01   0.02   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.01     3   3.1  Gai

12P           07/08/2023 21:36:11  16.04  15.03  14.38  13.90  13.53  13.21  13.6  18.3  B96

12P           07/08/2023 21:36:11*  0.01   0.02   0.00   0.01   0.00   0.01     2   3.9  Gai

12P           21/08/2023 20:51:09  16.23  15.46  15.00  14.61  14.31  14.07  18.5  17.7  B96

12P           21/08/2023 20:51:09*  0.05   0.08   0.06   0.07   0.06   0.04     2   2.8  Gai

12P           09/10/2023 19:36:18  14.28  13.18  12.58  12.19  11.95  11.77  27.4  17.6  B96

12P           09/10/2023 19:36:18*  0.01   0.00   0.02   0.02   0.02   0.02     2   4.0  Gai

12P           22/10/2023 19:00:53  14.92  14.20  13.80  13.48  13.23  13.01  26.1  17.7  B96

12P           22/10/2023 19:00:53*  0.02   0.02   0.04   0.05   0.06   0.06     2   3.9  Gai

12P           05/11/2023 19:48:11  13.74  12.51  11.88  11.48  11.22  11.05  17.7  17.6  B96

12P           05/11/2023 19:48:11*  0.04   0.07   0.07   0.07   0.07   0.07     3   3.5  Gai

12P           07/11/2023 18:28:59  14.17  13.12  12.53  12.13  11.83  11.61  29.9  17.8  B96

12P           07/11/2023 18:28:59*  0.00   0.01   0.00   0.01   0.01   0.00     2   3.9  Gai

12P           15/11/2023 19:17:26  10.31   9.45   9.24   9.19   9.15   9.13  34.9  17.6  B96

12P           15/11/2023 19:17:26*  0.01   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.01   0.00     2   3.1  Gai

12P           17/11/2023 19:45:23  12.17  10.88  10.22   9.81   9.54   9.36  10.2  16.5  B96

12P           17/11/2023 19:45:23*  0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00     1   3.8  Gai

12P           20/11/2023 18:50:04  13.20  11.97  11.29  10.81  10.45  10.16  19.1  17.7  B96

12P           20/11/2023 18:50:04*  0.00   0.00   0.01   0.01   0.00   0.01     2   3.5  Gai

12P           24/11/2023 18:59:49  13.62  12.58  11.99  11.54  11.19  10.91  17.6  16.6  B96

12P           24/11/2023 18:59:49*  0.02   0.05   0.06   0.06   0.07   0.07     3   3.8  Gai

12P           28/11/2023 18:04:15  13.89  12.91  12.34  11.94  11.62  11.35  27.3  17.1  B96

12P           28/11/2023 18:04:15*  0.00   0.02   0.04   0.05   0.04   0.05     2   3.8  Gai

12P           09/01/2024 17:57:45  12.93  12.06  11.62  11.32  11.11  10.93  34.9  17.4  B96

12P           09/01/2024 17:57:45*  0.01   0.00   0.01   0.01   0.01   0.01     2   4.0  Gai

12P           16/01/2024 17:30:50  12.75  11.88  11.43  11.14  10.95  10.79  36.6  17.2  B96

12P           16/01/2024 17:30:50*  0.01   0.00   0.01   0.01   0.00   0.00     2   3.4  Gai

                                                                     AFRHO         LOG

COMET         UTC                   DELTA    r    BOX "   MAG   RSR    CM    +/-  AFRHO  OBS

------------  -------------------   -----  -----  -----  -----  ---  -----  ----  -----  ---

12P           18/05/2023 01:01:20    4.30   4.51   6.41  18.04    9    220    25  2.342  B96

12P           04/06/2023 23:34:19    4.05   4.34   6.81  17.65   10    258    27  2.411  B96

12P           03/08/2023 21:34:11    3.46   3.74   7.98  16.27   14    500    36  2.699  B96

12P           07/08/2023 21:36:11    3.43   3.69   8.04  16.43   14    415    30  2.618  B96

12P           21/08/2023 20:51:09    3.34   3.55   8.25  16.50   19    339    18  2.530  B96

12P           09/10/2023 19:36:18    3.05   3.01   9.05  14.35   27   1468    54  3.167  B96

12P           22/10/2023 19:00:53    2.95   2.86   9.33  15.01   26    681    26  2.833  B96

12P           05/11/2023 19:48:11    2.84   2.69   9.70  13.69   18   1888   107  3.276  B96

12P           07/11/2023 18:28:59    2.83   2.67   9.76  14.17   30   1171    39  3.069  B96

12P           15/11/2023 19:17:26    2.75   2.57  10.02  10.11   35  43732  1253  4.641  B96

12P           17/11/2023 19:45:23    2.73   2.55  10.09  12.05   10   7075   694  3.850  B96

12P           20/11/2023 18:50:04    2.71   2.51  10.19  13.14   19   2464   129  3.392  B96

12P           24/11/2023 18:59:49    2.67   2.47  10.34  13.58   18   1540    87  3.187  B96

12P           28/11/2023 18:04:15    2.63   2.42  10.50  13.82   27   1146    42  3.059  B96

12P           09/01/2024 17:57:45    2.16   1.89  12.77  12.61   35   1441    41  3.159  B96

12P           16/01/2024 17:30:50    2.08   1.79  13.26  12.38   37   1493    41  3.174  B96

Discovery:

 Jean Louis Pons (Marseille, France) discovered this comet on 1812 July 21.07 UT. He said it was located in Lynx. Pons described it as a small, ill-defined nebulosity, without a tail, and not visible to the naked eye. Independent discoveries were made by Wisniewsky (Russia) on August 1 and Bouvard (France) on August 2.

Recovery:

      William R. Brooks (Phelps, New York) accidentally discovered this comet on 1883 September 2 while searching for comets. He described it as small and estimated the magnitude as 10.

During the discovery apparition the comet first became visible to the naked eye on August 13, and by the end of August it was displaying a tail about 2 degrees long. Although magnitude estimates were not made at this time, the comet probably reached its maximum brightness around mid-September, with a magnitude around 4. The comet was last seen on September 28 as its southern motion took it out of sight below the southern horizon.

Following the comet's appearance several attempts were made to determine its orbit and astronomers quickly agreed that the orbit was a short-period one. Estimates of the orbit period ranged from 65 to 75 years. Johann Encke determined a definitive orbit with a period of 70.68 years. This orbit was used to generate an ephemeris for the 1883 return, but searches were unsuccessful. As noted above, the comet was accidentally discovered by Brooks in September.