Comet IRAS–Araki–Alcock


Comet IRAS–Araki–Alcock is a long-period comet that, in 1983, made the closest known approach to Earth of any comet in 200 years, at a distance of about. The comet was named after its discoverers the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and two amateur astronomers, George Alcock of the United Kingdom and Genichi Araki of Japan. Both men were schoolteachers by profession, although Alcock was retired. Alcock had made his discovery simply by observing through the window of his home, using binoculars. During the closest approach, the comet appeared as a circular cloud about the size of the full moon, having no discernible tail, and shining at a naked eye magnitude of 3–4. It swept across the sky at an angular speed of about 30 degrees per day.
It is a long-period comet, with an orbital period of about 970 years, and is the parent comet of the minor Eta Lyrid meteor shower. This shower's radiant lies between Vega and Cygnus and produces 1 or 2 meteors an hour in mid-May with a peak between 9 May and 11 May.

Flyby comparison

Comet IRAS–Araki–Alcock made its closest approach to Earth in 1983, at a distance of about. It was the closest approach up to that time of any comet in 200 years; only Lexell's Comet, in 1770, and 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, in 1366, are thought to have come closer. Subsequently, on 12 June 1999, the small comet P/1999 J6 passed about from Earth. What was thought to be a small fragment of 252P/LINEAR, called P/2016 BA14, passed at a distance of on 22 March 2016.

1983 Flyby