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Comet 61P/SHAJN-SCHALDACH - (= 1949 VI =1949 e = P/1949 S1 = P/1971 S1)

61P on Kronck’s cometography

Photometric data obtained from FOCAS-II software

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

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

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

61P           04/12/2015 20:26:13  16.87  16.04  15.51  15.18  15.01  14.88   3.6  17.2  B96

61P           04/12/2015 20:26:13*  0.04   0.03   0.05   0.07   0.04   0.01     2   3.6  USN

61P           02/10/2022 22:32:27  16.46  15.81  15.49  15.27  15.17  15.09  13.9  17.9  B96

61P           02/10/2022 22:32:27*  0.06   0.05   0.07   0.04   0.04   0.04     2   3.6  Gai

61P           18/10/2022 20:53:43  16.31  15.64  15.27  15.11  14.96  14.89  11.7  17.5  B96

61P           18/10/2022 20:53:43*  0.09   0.06   0.03   0.00   0.06   0.04     2   3.6  Gai

61P           13/11/2022 20:28:16  16.89  16.23  15.88  15.64  15.54  15.40   8.1  17.6  B96

61P           13/11/2022 20:28:16*  0.04   0.04   0.07   0.03   0.01   0.06     2   3.5  Gai

61P           26/12/2022 18:08:32  18.25  17.60  16.96  16.67  16.47  16.37   6.2  17.7  B96

61P           26/12/2022 18:08:32*  0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00     1   3.9  Gai

                                                                     AFRHO         LOG

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

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

61P           04/12/2015 20:26:13    1.33   2.17  20.72  16.00    4     32     9  1.504  B96

61P           02/10/2022 22:32:27    1.15   2.13  24.00  15.72   14     30     2  1.473  B96

61P           18/10/2022 20:53:43    1.14   2.13  24.28  15.53   12     34     3  1.536  B96

61P           13/11/2022 20:28:16    1.24   2.13  22.22  16.18    8     23     3  1.357  B96

61P           26/12/2022 18:08:32    1.67   2.18  16.56  17.71    6     10     2  1.021  B96

Discovery:

This comet  was discovered on 18 September 1949 on a photographic plate , exposed by the 12-cm camera, by Pelageja F. Shajn at the Simeiz Observatory, Crimea,Ukraine, part of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. She determined the magnitude as 12.8. Shajn confirmed the discovery on Sept. 19.9 and Sept. 20.94.  It was also discovered independently two days later by Robert D. Schaldach at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, US, also on a photographic plate. Shajn then found evidence of the comet on earlier photographs taken on August 28 and September 4.  This comet was last s on 1949 Dec. 20.72. The calculated period was 7.76 year. After taking into account perturbations due a close approach to Jupiter the next perihelion was calculated to be on 15 March 1957 but in that year it was never found. It was also not discovered on its next predicted appearance in 1964. The most likely explanation for the two failures was the comet's faintness.

Recovery:

The comet could be recovered on 29 September 1971 by Charles T. Kowal of the Department of Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, US, using the 122 cm Palomar Schmidt telescope, who estimated its brightness at a faint magnitude of 16.

The comet was successfully observed on its subsequent returns in 1979, 1986, 1993, 2001, 2008, 2015, 2022.