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Comet 43P/WOLF-HARRINGTON - (= 1924 Y1)

43P on Kronk’s cometography

Discovery:

 Max Wolf (Königstuhl Observatory, Heidelberg, Germany) photographically discovered this comet on 1924 December 22.83. He was able to confirm the discovery on December 23.87. The comet was moving slowly through Taurus and was estimated as magnitude 16. A. Kahrstedt (Berlin, Germany) recognised the comet was moving in a short-period orbit by the end of December. The comet steadily faded during the next few weeks and was last seen on 1925 February 14. Thereafter, the orbit was revised, but the comet's large perihelion distance of 2.4 AU and the observation arc of only two months made it obvious that the orbit would not be as precise as desired. The orbital computations also revealed the comet's next return would be very unfavorable and that a close approach to Jupiter in 1936 would add great uncertainty to future predicted returns. Last seen: 1925 febr. 14.1

Close approaches to planets: This comet made one close approach to Earth and two close approaches to Jupiter during the 20th century. It makes one close approach to Jupiter during the 21st century. (From the orbital work of Kazuo Kinoshita

Rediscovery:

The comet has been observed at every return since its rediscovery apparition of 1951-1952. Its most favorable appearances were 1952, when it reached magnitude 12, and 1991, when it reached magnitude 12.5