440P/Kobayashi

P/1997 B1 (Kobayashi)

Discovery
Discovered by	Takao Kobayashi
Discovery date	January 30, 1997
Orbital characteristics
Epoch	2450520.5 (March 13, 1997)
Aphelion	15.121 AU
Perihelion	2.055 AU
Semi-major axis	8.588 AU
Eccentricity	0.761
Orbital period	25.17 a
Inclination	12.36°
Last perihelion	March 2, 1997
Next perihelion	March 25, 2022

On January 30 and January 31, 1997, Takao Kobayashi observed an object, P/1997 B1 (Kobayashi), which was initially thought to be a minor planet and was reported to the IAU as such by S. Nakano. Over the next few days, the object was observed to be in a cometary orbit. W. Offutt later showed it to be a comet. For discovery of a comet with CCD, as well as the faintest discovery, Kobayashi ranks the first among amateur astronomers. It demonstrates that amateur astronomers still have an important role to play in the field of astronomical object discovery.

See also

• List of Halley-type comets

External links

• "IAUC 6553: P/1997 B1". IAU: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Retrieved 2016-01-17. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• "IAUC 6554: P/1997 B1; 1997X". IAU: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Retrieved 2016-01-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• "P/1997 B1 (Kobayashi)". JPL Small-Body Database Browser. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2016-01-17. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• "P/1997 B1 (Kobayashi)". Kazuo Kinoshita. Retrieved 2016-01-17. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)