Memorable Comets

Comet Swift-Tuttle
109P/Swift-Tuttle

    Comet Swift-Tuttle is known as the parent body of the Perseid meteor shower which is seen in summer. The existence of this comet has been known since 69 B.C. and it made the 5th apparition in 1992 after 130 years from the previous apparition. Many comet hunters searched for this comet using rather crude predictions of its positions.
    This photo shows the comet captured by Geisei’s 60cm reflector on November 27, 1992. It was at 8th magnitude displaying a beautiful tail longer than one degree. While this comet was recovered 130 years after the last apparition, Comet Pons-Gambart was rediscovered 185 years later, much longer than that of Comet Swift-Tuttle.