On the 2001 Splitting of the Nucleus of 51P/Harrington

Kidger, M. R.; Manteca, José
Bibliographical reference

Earth, Moon, and Planets, v. 90, Issue 1, p. 153-156 (2002).

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3
2002
Number of authors
2
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
2
Refereed citations
2
Description
The nucleus of 51P/Harrington suffered a major splitting event in Autumn 2001 discovered by amateur José Manteca. The light curve and separation of the fragments is examined based on data from the observers collaborating in the Spanish language ``Cometas_Obs'' mailing list, including a number of pre-announcement observations. There is some uncertainty in the epoch of the initiation of the split. Some evidence favours an earlier initiation than September 2001.