Comet C/1733 K1—Discovery, rediscovery and orbit

• Published in: Vistas in astronomy Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 323 - 334
• Main Authors: Koninckx, C., Vanouplines, P., Marsden, B.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 1995
• ISSN: 0083-6656
• DOI: 10.1016/0083-6656(95)00086-3

The standard cometary records mention that a comet was observed by Dutch navigators from the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope soon after sunset on several occasions in May 1733. No orbit computation has hitherto been possible, and no observations seem to have been made from the northern hemisphere, although in 1881 Oudemans concluded that the comet was in Gemini, somewhat east of but only slightly south of the sun. A more detailed record of the comet has recently come to light from a Swedish ship that was also in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope. The historical circumstances of these observations, and the authenticity and authorship of the Swedish record, are discussed. The Swedish record is remarkable in that it includes sketches of the position of the comet on four evenings over the course of a week, as it crossed the constellation of Orion. From these sketches it is possible to establish that the comet was moving out from perihelion earlier in the month in a low-inclination direct orbit.