206P/Barnard–Boattini

Lore & Background

The American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard spotted the comet from a photographic plate taken on the night of 13 October 1892. It was not recovered after this apparition, thus the comet became lost and was subsequently designated as D/1892 T1. Ľuboš Neslušan suggests that 14P/Wolf and this comet are siblings which stem from a common parent comet, however an earlier study by Donald K. Yeomans in 1975 concluded that there is no evidence that these two comets were related to each other.

This comet was rediscovered on 7 October 2008 by Andrea Boattini in the course of the Mt. Lemmon Survey. It was initially credited to Boattini before it was identified as Comet Barnard 3. The comet, now known as Barnard–Boattini, passed about 0.1904 AU from Earth on 21 October 2008. 206P/Barnard–Boattini was not seen since January 2009, as both apparitions of 2014 and 2021 place it too close to the Sun from Earth's perspective, and was not expected to be brighter than apparent magnitude 20 and 23, respectively.

The comet has made 20 revolutions since 1892 and passed within 0.3–0.4 AU of Jupiter in 1922, 1934 and 2005. The comet passed 0.1303 AU from Jupiter on 9 July 2017. It will next come to perihelion in September 2027. The comet has a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.018 AU with Earth. In 1991, Ľubor Kresák noted that C/1618 V1, also known as 1618 III, is a possible prediscovery apparition of Comet Barnard 3. However a definite link couldn't be made as the comet previously only had a very short observation arc of 55 days, as it wouldn't be rediscovered until 2008.

Reader's Guide

206P/Barnard–Boattini holds a unique place in cometary astronomy as the first comet ever discovered by photographic means, a milestone achieved by Edward Emerson Barnard in 1892. Its subsequent loss for 116 years underscores the challenges of tracking small bodies with limited observational arcs. The rediscovery by Andrea Boattini in 2008, during the Mt. Lemmon Survey, highlights the role of modern automated surveys in recovering lost comets. The comet's orbit has been shaped by close approaches to Jupiter, including passages within 0.3–0.4 AU in 1922, 1934, and 2005, and a particularly close approach of 0.1303 AU in 2017. A proposed link to 14P/Wolf as a sibling comet remains disputed, with Ľuboš Neslušan suggesting a common parent while Donald K. Yeomans found no evidence of a relationship. Additionally, a possible prediscovery apparition in 1618 was noted by Ľubor Kresák, but a definite connection could not be established due to the short observation arc of the original discovery. The comet's faintness during recent apparitions (magnitude 20 and 23) and its proximity to the Sun from Earth's perspective have prevented further observations since January 2009.

Did You Know?

• 206P/Barnard–Boattini was the first comet discovered by photographic means.
• A possible prediscovery apparition in 1618 was noted, but a definite link could not be made.