Comet Howard–Koomen–Michels, formally known as C/1979 Q1 (Solwind),[2] was a large sungrazer that collided with the Sun on August 30, 1979.[3] It is the only comet known to have made contact with the Sun's surface, as most bodies vaporize before impact. It was observed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's white light coronagraph, SOLWIND, on the USAF Space Test Program, P78-1 satellite. It was the first comet discovered by a space instrument. The discovers were Russell Howard, Martin Koomen and Donald Michels who were with the Naval Research Laboratory.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Solwind Russell A. Howard Martin J. Koomen Donald Michels |
| Discovery date | 30 August 1979 |
| Designations | |
| Comet Howard–Koomen–Michels | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch | 30 August 1979 (JD 2444116.449) |
| Observation arc | 0 days |
| Perihelion | 0.0048 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.0000 |
| Inclination | 141.456° |
| 344.997° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 67.688° |
| Last perihelion | 30 August 1979 |
References
External links
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