New catalogue of one-apparition comets discovered in the years 1901–1950

Abstract

Context. The orbits of one-apparition comets discovered in the early part of the last century have formerly been determined with very different numerical methods and assumptions on the model of the solar system, including the number of planets taken into account. Moreover, observations of the comet-minus-star-type sometimes led to determination of the comet position that are less precise than what we can derive today by using a more modern star catalogue. Aims. We aim to provide a new catalogue of cometary orbits that are derived using a completely homogeneous data treatment, accurate numerical integration, and a modern model of the solar system. Methods. We collected the complete sets of observations for investigated comets from the original publications. Then we recalculated the cometary positions for the comet-minus-star-type of observations using the Positions and Proper Motions Star Catalogue, and applied a uniform method for the data selection and weighting. As a final result, new osculating orbits were determined. Secondly, dynamical calculations were performed to the distance of 250 AU from the Sun to derive original and future barycentric orbits for evolution backward and forward in time. These numerical calculations for a given object start from a swarm of virtual comets constructed using our osculating (nominal) orbit. In this way, we obtained the orbital element uncertainties of original and future barycentric orbits.Results. We present homogeneous sets of orbital elements for osculating, original, and future orbits for 38 one-apparition comets. Non-gravitational orbits are derived for thirteen of them.

Non-gravitational effects change the original 1/a-distribution of near-parabolic comets

“…They form an almost complete sample of such objects discovered in the period 1885-2012. About 50 of them were studied previously by KD10, Królikowska et al (2012Królikowska et al ( , 2014, and Królikowska & Dybczyński (2016), and all the LPCs (∼20) of this type that were discovered during the period 2006-2010 were examined by Królikowska & Dybczyński (2013, hereafter KD13). The orbits of the majority of these comets were presented by Królikowska (2014, hereafter K14).…”

“…Positional observations of comets discovered before 1980 were mostly collected from the original papers, see also Królikowska et al (2014). However, positional measurements for comets discovered after 1980 were taken from the MPC.…”

“…Part B of Table 1 shows Oort spike comets from the period 1901-1950 that were analyzed in Królikowska et al (2014). This is a complete sample of Oort spike comets discovered in this A80, page 2 of 16 M. Królikowska: Non-gravitational effects on LPCs Table 1.…”

Discovery statistics and 1/a distribution of long-period comets detected during 1801–2017

“…Statistic of various types of LPCs discovered in different periods. This statistic has been prepared using the following sources: KD13, KD17, Królikowska (2014); Królikowska et al (2014), JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine (May 2018) and Minor Planet Center Database Search (May 2018). Parabolic comet means a comet having an orbit determined with the assumption that e = 1 (comets with very poorly known orbits).…”

“…Currently, we have original orbital solutions for 134 large-perihelion LPCs (KD17, and Królikowska and Dybczyński in prep. ) and 109 small-perihelion LPCs (Królikowska 2014;Królikowska et al 2014;Królikowska & Dybczyński 2016; Królikowska et al, Figure 9. Number ratio of large-perihelion LPCs to small-perihelion LPCs in function of 1/a-original for the same bins as in Fig.…”