C/1978 R3 (Machholz)

For other comets discovered by Donald E. Machholz, see Comet Machholz.

C/1978 R3 (Machholz)
C/1978 R3 (Machholz) taken by Hans-Emil Schuster from ESO on 14 September 1978[1][2]
Discovery[3]
Discovered byDonald Machholz
Discovery siteLos Gatos, California
Discovery date13 September 1978
Designations
1978 XIII, 1978l[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch2 November 1978 (JD 2443814.5)
Observation arc322 days
Number of
observations		46
Perihelion1.772 AU
Eccentricity1.00028
Inclination130.64°
290.68°
Argument of
periapsis		224.75°
Mean anomaly0.0002°
Last perihelion13 August 1978
Earth MOID0.942 AU
Jupiter MOID1.672 AU
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		8.3

Comet Machholz, formally designated as C/1978 R3, is a hyperbolic comet that was observed throughout late 1978. It is the first of 12 comets discovered by American astronomer, Donald Machholz.[6] He found the comet on 12 September 1978 while observing with a 25-cm reflector telescope from Los Gatos, California. He described it as a diffuse object without central condensation with an apparent magnitude of about 11.[6] The first parabolic orbit, calculated by M. P. Candy, indicated that at the moment of discovery the comet was past its perihelion and it was approaching Earth.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Comets Galore!" (PDF). Messenger. 15. European Southern Observatory: 13. December 1978.
  2. ^ H. E. Schuster; E. Everhart (18 September 1978). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet Machholz (1978l)". IAU Circular. 3269 (1). Bibcode:1978IAUC.3269....1S.
  3. ^ D. E. Machholz; H. E. Schuster; E. Everhart (14 September 1978). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet Machholz (1978l)". IAU Circular. 3267 (1). Bibcode:1978IAUC.3267....1M.
  4. ^ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  5. ^ "C/1978 R3 (Machholz) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b D. E. Machholz (7 April 2017). "The Discovery of Comet Machholz (1978l) – September 12, 1978". Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  7. ^ Marsden, Brian G. (21 September 1978). "1978l; N Cyg 1978". International Astronomical Union Circular. 3272.
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