 The comet on 16 February 1941 byYerkes Observatory | |
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Reginald Purdon de Kock John S. Paraskevopoulos |
| Discovery date | 15 January 1941 |
| Designations | |
| 1941 IV, 1941c[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch | 1941-Feb-15.0 |
| Observation arc | 241 days |
| Aphelion | 1,760 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.79 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.9991 |
| Inclination | 168.2° |
| 43.1° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 268.7° |
| Last perihelion | 27 January 1941 |
| Physical characteristics[5][6] | |
Mean radius | 1.31 km (0.81 mi)[a] |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 6.0 |
| 2.0 (1941 apparition) | |
Comet de Kock–Paraskevopoulos (also known with the designationsC/1941 B2,1941 IV,1941c) is a non-periodiccomet discovered on 15 January 1941. The comet reached anapparent magnitude of about +2.[6]
The comet was first observed by Reginald Purdon de Kock inPaarl, South Africa while he was observing variable starR Lupi on 15 January 1941 and notified the Royal Observatory. He estimated the comet had a magnitude of 5.8 and its tail was half a degree long.[7] The comet was independently discovered byFrank Skjellerup inMelbourne on 20 January and confirmed the discovery the next day, while a person named Barnes also notifiedMelbourne Observatory about the comet on 21 January.[7]John S. Paraskevopoulos of theHarvard College Observatory inBloemfontein, unaware of the other discoveries, found the comet on 23 January and sent immediately a radiogram in Harvard College, and thus the comet became known in the United States as comet Paraskevopoulos.[7]
The comet brightened rapidly to a magnitude of 2 to 3 the next days, while itstail was reported to be about 5 degrees long. The comet reached its perihelion on 27 January and two days later was the closest approach to Earth, at a distance of 0.2655 AU. On 27 January the comet also reached its southernmostdeclination, at -57°.[7] On that day, Harley Weston Wood reported a magnitude of 3.26 at a tail length of 5° by naked eye. The comet brightened a bit more the following days, withRonald Alexander McIntosh reporting magnitude 2.2 and a tail length of 6 degrees on 31 January.[7]
In February the comet began to fade, as it was moving away both from Earth and the Sun.[7] The tail appeared bent the first days of the month. By the mid of February the comet had faded to a magnitude of about 5 and stopped being visible withnaked eye.[8] In March thesolar elongation decreased and the comet passed 0.6 degrees from the Sun on April 28. The comet was recovered on 4 July byGeorge van Biesbroeck and was last detected on 27 September 1941.[7]
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