proceedings of the fifth symposium

A history of comet discoveiy from South Africa

T P Cooper Director, ASSA Comet & Meteor Section P O Box 14740, Bredell, 1623, South Africa [email protected]

Abstract; The history of comet discovery from South Africa is as old as the first settlement by the Dutch at the Cape in 1652. This paper records the discov­ ery of 57 comets from South Africa since this time. The most prolific discover­ ers are shown to be William Reid and Michiel Bester. Interesting facts relating to the discoverers and their comets are presented. The paper constitutes a sum­ mary and is part of a larger ongoing effort by the author to produce a concise historical manuscript of South African comet discovery.

Introduction Notwithstanding the fact that the last comet month earlier from Spain, P/1682 Q l, which discovered from South Africa was in 1978, was comet Hailey, and C/J695 U2, which this country has a vibrant history of comet was observed two days earlier from Brazil. discovery. During the current lull in discov­ McIntyre also gives an account of C/1830 ery, 1 feel it pertinent to take stock and sum­ F 1 which he describes as “the only independ­ marise the discoveries that have been made ent discovery o f a comet by a woman in over the last 350 years and give some impe­ South Africa”. Mrs Fallows observation on tus to discovery in the 21 st century. March 20 was four days after the first sight­ A comprehensive treatise of South African ing of this comet from Mauritius on March comet discoveries has never been produced. 16. The closest are McIntyre’s (1949) ‘Comets in Old Cape Records’ and Overbeek’s (1995) list Table 1(a). Discoveries 1652-1910 of discoveries. The former is rather a record of Discoverer comet observations, though some of these de­ Comet scriptions are clearly the first documented C/1652 Yl* van Riebeeck records of some comets which may thus be C/1686 Rl* van der Stel considered discoveries from the Cape. The lat­ C/1688 El* unknown ter reference is a list of South African discov­ C/1689 XI* van der Stel unknown eries made by amateurs only. X/1702 Dl* C/1733 K.1* unknown McIntyre records discovery observations C/1742 Cl* unknown of comets C/1652 Yl, C/1686 Rl, C/1689 C/1830 F2* M-A Fallows XI, C/1733 K.1 and C/1742 Cl. These may C/1882 Rl* W Finlay be considered as true South African discov­ C/1886 SI W Finlay eries since the recorded dates predate any C/1888 Dl H Sawerthai C/1910 Al* R T A Innes others. However, he also describes observa­ tions of C/1664 W I, which was observed one * not officially listed as a South African discovery' 170 mnassa vol 62 nos 7 & 8 'dated 2013 C/1927 A1 C/1927 B1 C/1926 C/1935 A1 C/1935 Y1 C/1932 LI C/1930 P/1936 SI P/1936 PI P/1929 C/1927 B1C/1927 XI C/1925 F2 C/1925 FI C/1924 W1C/1922 B1C/1922 El C/1921 XI C/1920 Y1 C/1919 LI C/1918 Comet C/1935 Ml C/1935 G1C/1932 P/1915 W1P/1915 discovered was comet the that fact the to but P/1922 K1P/1922 icvrr. Tetr ‘ot fia’ re­ African’ ‘South term {The discoverers. car­ which comets, shores, named these officially from 46 and independently detected but discoverer African South individual an discovery to attributed be can that f comets o al 1b.Dsoeis 1915-1936 Discoveries 1(b). Table from within the borders of South Africa). South of borders the within from fers not to the nationality o f the discoverer discoverer the f o nationality the to not fers African South different 18 f o names the ry was comet the that exists evidence which for number the Ifind sources various Consulting the f o details the of some present and rica f­ .SouthA from discovered comets the marise Summary of the of discoveries the Summary discoveries. from South Africa to be 57. These include include These 57. be to Africa South from 11 comets which do not carry the name of of name the carry not do which comets 11 In this paper I intend to concisely sum­ concisely to intend I paper this In C Jackson C Jackson C Blathwayt TB Blathwayt TB Ensor GE Taylor C EL Johnson EL Forbes AFI Forbes AFI Forbes AFI Reid W Reid W Skjellerup JF Skjellerup JF Skjellerup JF JF Discoverer HE Houghton/GE Ensor Houghton/GE HE WReid WReid ReidW ReidW Skjellerup proceedings of the fifth symposium theproceedingsfifth of 171 C/1944 C/1944 C/1974 V2 C/1974 Y1 C/1969 Ol C/1959 K1 C/1949 W1 C/1948 R1 C/1948 XI* C/1947 SI C/1947 K1 C/1947 FI C/1947 D/1978 R1D/1978 Q1 P/1949 C/1945 LI C/1945 W1C/1943 K.1C/1941 B2 C/1941 01 C/1940 Comet 1940-1978 Discoveries 1(c). Table *not officially listed as Southa African discovery U1 C/1946 XI C/1945 with five. with P/1948 01 P/1948 G1P/1945 K.1 P/1944 01 P/1941 period 30-year the in discover­ made 57 were the f O 38 1900s. ies, the in 46 and aesne 1941. since Cape Howev­ 1925. f o comet Ensor’s until Cape Toit du Daniel by followed each, discoveries er, there have been no discoveries from the the from discoveries no been have there er, gleaned. be can points esting ila Ri ad ihe Bse wt six with Bester Michiel and Reid William rm 1920-1950. from al ia-c. rm hs itsvrl inter­ several list this From i(a)-(c). Table 1600s, three in the 1700s, four in the 1800s 1800s the in four 1700s, the in three 1600s, T here w ere four d isco v eries in the the in eries v isco d four ere w here T the outside discoveries no were There The most prolific comet discoverers were were discoverers comet prolific most The in given is f discoveries o list concise The K2 J Campos J various JC Bennett JC Bennett JC CJackson MJ Bester MJ ELJohnson ELJohnson Bester MJ Bester MJ Bester MJ Toitdu D Paraskevopoulos JS MJBester Paraskevopoulos RP de Kock/JS ELJohnson Bester MJ DToitdu DToitdu Gent Hvan DToitdu Gent Hvan DToitdu Gent Hvan Discoverer august 2003 august proceedings of the fifth symposium

The last discovery was made in 1978, 24 and west to the length of 35 celestial years ago. Only two South African discov­ degrees, in Gemini.’ erers remain alive, Jose Campos, who now The position at discovery' appears to have lives in Portugal, and Michiel Bester, who been near beta Lupi. lives in Mpumalanga. Van der Stel’s second comet, discovered on November 24, 1689, was perhaps one of The comets of the 1600-1800s the most spectacular comets discovered from To all intents, it appears the history of com­ South Africa. It was first seen in the early et discovery from South Africa is as old as morning sky shortly before sunrise, but the settlement of the country itself. Jan van moved into the evening sky after perihelion Riebeeck landed at the Cape on 1652 April on November 29 and grew a tail ‘ like a great 6. During his first year, he busied himself sabre’ around 100° long. with the building of accommodation and The account of Mary' Anne Fallows’ com­ planted the first vines that were the origins et is of interest. Known as the Great Comet of the Cape wine region. On the evening of of 1830, it was discovered on 1830 March December 17 he sighted the comet C/1652 16 by Faraguet in Mauritius. His discovery Y l, writing in his journal: was presented in a paper to the South Afri­ can Institution, where he described the dis­ ‘At night about 9 or 10 o’clock saw covery position as between the Chameleon to the east south east from the head of and the Large Magellanic Cloud, “and the the giant about 80 degrees above the tail never exceeding 5°”. Mrs Fallows first horizon a strange star with a tail; the observed the comet on March 20 according tail extending northwards right on the to McIntyre (1949: 14). Warner (1995: 206) knees of the giant and the head most­ quotes from a letter of Fallows to Barrow: ly to the south about 10 degrees away.’ “Mrs Fallows discovered a comet in .. .Oc- tans very early in the month of March.” The Van Riebeeck continued to observe the com­ publ ished observations by Airy (1851) com­ et until December 24. Though the telescope mence on 1830 March 22. The discovery is had been used astronomically since 1609, and recorded as a naked-eye object with a tail no doubt the early Dutch seafarers used them several degrees long located a few degrees while at sea, there is no record that van Rie­ from the south celestial pole. Bortle (1998) beeck observed the comet telescopically. gives the discovery magnitude as 3. The Simon van der Stel found the first of his comet moved due north parallel to 2 lh right two comets nearly 34 years later, on 1686 ascension. It was magnitude 2 with a short August 12. In his journal he recorded: tail located in Microscopium on April 1, and magnitude 4 with a 2° tail in western Pegasus ‘This night appeared in the fifth house at the beginning of May. Tt remains the only of the heavens, at 1 o’clock, in the comet co-discovered by a woman from South horizon a comet corresponding in Africa length with Saturn and Venus con­ William Finlay discovered two comets in joined, on the left shoulder of the the late 1800s. The second, P/1886 SI can hare...The tail extended right, east still be observed today. Now designated 15P,

172 mnassa vol 62 nos 7 & 8 proceedings of the fifth symposium it follows a short period of 6.75 years. It tude. But on September 30 Finlay reported reached perihelion again on February 7 this in his notebook: “there seem to be two balls year, peaking at about magnitude 12. How­ of light in the head”. On October 1 he ever, it was Finlay’s first comet that became sketched the two. separated by a line of light. one of the most remarkable comets of the On October 9 he noted several points in the 19th century. Though it had been spotted ear­ nucleus. On October 17 Gill counted five lier on September 1 (Bortle 1998), Finlay points of light in a pale cigar-shaped nucle­ made the first independent observations from us, which he described in the Cape Quar­ South Africa on September? which, accord­ terly Review as a “narrow line fully an arc ing to Gill (1882a), were the first exact ob­ minute in length with five nuclei looking like servations of the comet, Known officially as small beads strung on a thread of worsted.” the Great Comet of 1882, it was magnitude By the end of October the Great Comet 2-3 at discovery, with a short tail and locat­ of 1882 had faded to magnitude 2 with a 30° ed in western Hydra. It moved rapidly sun­ tail. By December it was still shining at mag­ ward to perihelion on September 17, and by nitude 3, and only became lost to the naked September 13 the comet was brighter than eye in February' 1883. And so one of the most Jupiter with a 12° tail. At perihelion the com­ remarkable comets of all time faded into his­ et was easily visible at noon, near the Sun, tory. at an estimated magnitude of -17, with a ta i 1 of 3°. It continued to be visible for another The heyday of comet discovery, week in broad daylight, moving south-east­ 1900-1950 wards into the evening sky, and by end Sep­ It was really in the 20th century that South tember it was still magnitude 0 with a 25° Africans made a major mark in the field of tail. But the comet’s remarkable performance comet discovery. In 1910 another bright was to continue. Gill (1882b) obtained pho­ comet made its appearance, the Daylight tographs of the comet from South Africa, Comet of 1910. The comet was observed by starting on October 19. In a letter from Gill many in the morning twilight of January 12, (1882c) to a Mr Knobel he first commented but the first astronomer to do so was R T A on the break-up of the nucleus of the comet. Innes (Bortle 1997, Petterson 1998). At He wrote: about magnitude -1 at discovery, the comet rapidly moved into conjunction with the Sun. “whether before perihelion the Great At perihelion on January' 17 it was magni­ Comet of 1882 showed a duplex or tude -5 and visible in daylight. After peri­ compound nucleus, the observations helion it moved northwards, and by the end by Finlay and Elkin on September 7 of January was magnitude 1 with a 25° tail, and 8 prove clearly that no duplicity early February it was third magnitude with could be detected with our optical a 50° tail, and thereafter faded rapidly, be­ means.” ing lost to the naked eye by mid-February. Another comet which can be observed Gill glimpsed the comet on September 9 and today is P/1915 W l, discovered by Clement then the day after perihelion, reporting the Jennings Taylor on 1915 November 24. nucleus as resembling a star of first magni­ Travelling in an orbit of just under 7 years,

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it is now designated comet 69P, and last J F Skjellerup discovered four comets, be­ reached perihelion on 1997 December 12 tween 1919 and 1922. Houghton (1947) when it reached magnitude 12. Taylor was quotes him as being “an assiduous comet bom in Lincolnshire in 1861 and came to explorer”. His third comet, discovered on South Africa at an early age, ending up work­ 1922 May 16, was found independently lat­ ing in the Kimberly diamond fields. He re­ er the same evening by Reid, who, the story turned to the Cape in 1890 after he and his goes, stood aside to allow Skjellerup the sole wife had lost their infant child, and contin­ credit as discoverer. Had Reid been credited ued business as a cloth merchant. He ob­ discovery of this comet he would stand alone served from an observatory ‘Herschel View’ as South Africa’s foremost comet discover­ in his yard in Claremont. Taylor discovered er. Orbital calculations showed that this com­ his comet at magnitude 10 in Orion. It et was the same one discovered by Grigg in reachedperihelion on 1916 January 3 1 (Kro- 1902, and the comet now known as 26P nk 1984), and on February 3 van Biesbroek Grigg-Skjellerup is still visible today. Skjel­ noted the nucleus appeared elongated. By lerup was to make a further discovery in February 10, E E Barnard reported two per­ 1927, but by that time had returned to his fectly distinct comets. The nucleus referred native Australia. to as A was last seen on March 23, while the G E Ensor discovered two comets during other, nucleus B, is still observable today. his variable star observing from Pretoria. The Taylor died on 1992 June 30 and on his grave first one, discovered on 1925 December 13, in Plumstead Cemetery are the words, ‘The initially developed a short tail (Weir 1927), Heavens Declare the Glory of God’, as was large coma and sharp stellar nucleus, and it inscribed above his observatory door. seems would have become quite bright In 1918, William Reid discovered the first (Moore & Collins 1977). But by the end of of his six comets, after three years of dedi­ February when the comet should have been cated comet searching. He wrote: seen in the eastern sky, it could not be found despite constant searches. The comet was fi­ ‘At first it was a very big undertak­ nally seen on March 10 by the well-known ing. My knowledge of the southern British amateur Bertrand Peek, and photo­ skies was very limited - it took me graphed at Bergedorf on March 16 and 20, some time to get familiar with the appearing as a faint nebulous mass without many nebulae which could be mistak­ any apparent nucleus. The appearance was en for comets, and it was only after 1 referred to as resembling a “celestial jelly had mapped down hundreds of them fish” and it seems this comet was the first that I was able to recognise them as example of one which literally ran out of gas. old immovable friends. I must admit Ensor discovered his second comet on that it took me some time to develop 1932 April 2 while observing the variable a rubber neck and back’. star T Apodis (Overbeek 1995). Reporting his discovery to the Union Observatory he But master the technique he did, discover­ was told that Harold Egerton Houghton had ing five more comets between 1921 and already discovered the comet the night be­ 1927. fore from Cape Town. Nevertheless, both

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were credited with the discovery of comet exists today at his old observatory in Her- Houghton-Ensor. Houghton wrote: manus (KJeyn & Turk, private communica­ tion, 2002). In 1956 he returned to Cape “a new comet was seen by the writer Town due to failing health and lived with at Cape Town on April Is1 (a rather his niece, Ms Hewitson. His first comet was unfavourable day for making an­ discovered after more than a years dedicat­ nouncements).” ed searching1, on 1929 August 1 at magni­ tude 11 in Microscopium, and is the period­ Houghton was bom in England in 1892 and ic comet today known as 37P. It had made a came to South Africa in 1920 to join the staff close approach to Jupiter, and might have of the High Commissioner’s Office. He suc­ been found in 1923 had it not been badly ceeded Ensor as Director of the ASSA Var­ placed (Kronk 1984). He made further dis­ iable Star Section in 1934, making over coveries in 1930 and 1932, the latter on De­ 10 000 observations, and co-discovering a cember 15 when the comet was close to the comet in the process. bright star Fomalhaut. The comet was inde­ Theodore Ballantyne Blathwayt is another pendently found by G F Dodwell, Govern­ discoverer o f two comets, in 1926 and 1927. ment Astronomer at Adelaide two days lat­ He was an active comet searcher, spending er, and was named comet Dodwell-Forbes. 130 hours searching in 1931 (Forbes 1931), Ernest Leonard Johnson was an astrono­ though he failed to discover any more be­ mer at the Union Observatory, perhaps best fore his sudden passing in 1932. Blathwayt known for his discovery of 12 minor plan­ graduated at Oxford and emigrated to South ets, including 1580 Betulia during a close Africa. After the Great War he moved from approach on 1950 May 22. As a result of his Cape Town to Johannesburg, where he photographic searches he discovered four searched for comets using a 4-inch refractor comets, the first in 1935, and then in 1948 and an 8-inch reflector. He died suddenly on and two in 1949. He retired from the Union 1932 October 12, aged 72. Observatory in 1956. Alexander Forbes himself discovered Another prolific discoverer of minor plan­ three comets. He was bom in Scotland in ets was Cyril Jackson. Bom in 1903, he 1871, came to South Africa in 1896, but re­ joined the Union Observatory in 1928, where turned to Scotland to study. He finally emi­ he worked until 1947. Jackson discovered grated to the Cape in 1909 where he prac­ three comets, two of which can still be ob­ ticed as an architect, before retiring to Her- served today. He discovered his first comet manus in 1932. He observed and searched in 1935, and found his second, a twelfth with a self-built 8-inch reflector, which still magnitude object in Aquarius on 1936 Sep­ tember 20 on a plate exposed five days ear­ lier. The comet was independently found by Grigory Neujmin in Russia, and the comet 1: The obituary in MNASSA gives comet Pons- is today known as 58P Jackson-Neujmin. Coggie-Winnecke-Forbes as his first discovery. Jackson’s third comet was found by accident This was in fact a recovery, and Forbes is today not credited as discoverer of this comet, which is on a plate exposed on 1948 August 26, while known as comet Crommelin. testing a 50cm focal-length camera for its

175 august 2003 proceedings of the fifth symposium ability to detect fast-moving minor planets. observed there until less than a year before The comet was found 12 hours earlier by he died suddenly of a heart attack on 1947 Joseph Ashbrook on a visit to Lowell Ob­ March 29, aged 47, His brightest comet, Van servatory (Kronk 1984). This comet too is Gent-Daimaca-Peltier, reached magnitude 6. observable today as comet 47P Ashbrook- Michiel John Bester holds the joint dis­ Jackson. tinction as South Africa’s most prolific comet Another well-known amateur who seren- discoverer, with six discoveries. Bester was dipitously discovered a comet while observ­ bom in Colesburg on 1917 May 16, He grew ing variable stars was Reginald Purdon de up and finished school in Philipolis in the Kock. On the morning o f 1941 January 15, southern Free State. His father died in 1925 he trained his 3-inch refractor on the varia­ at the early age of 35, and young Michiel ble star R Lupi, immediately spotting the was forced to enter business with a paint comet at magnitude 5.8, with a 'A0 tail. De company, B P Jones, to help the family. But Kock reported at a meeting of the Cape Cen­ a vacancy existed for an observer at Boyden tre on March 19: Observatory, and after an interview with Paraskevopoulos, Bester joined a team of T had been observing variable stars three other observers - Du Toit, de Villiers for almost an hour before 1 tried to and Steyn-on 1937 December 1, It was their pick up R Lupi. It was then about half job to check the photographic plates taken past three...It [the comet] was to the on behalf of Harlow Shapley, then Director left of the field of R Lupi... at Harvard. The exposures were generally 45 minutes on Cramer High Speed Blue In the fol lowing weeks it brightened to mag­ plates, or later Kodak 103a, taken with the nitude 2 and displayed a long tail visible in 10-inch Metcalf or 8-inch Bache telescopes. both the morning and evening sky. The com­ It was during the examination of the expo­ et was noted for a dark division which ap­ sures for image quality that Bester discov­ peared to separate the tail into two stream­ ered his six comets, Despite the fact that Be­ ers, resembling comet Donati of 1858. The ster only retired on 1982 December 1 after comet was found by several others, and due 45 years sendee at Boydcn, five of his com­ to war-time communications, the first offi­ ets were discovered in the period 1946-1948, cial report was by J S Paraskevopoulos from and the sixth in 1959. Boydcn on January 23, by which time the Bester’s colleague at Boyden, Daniel du comet had brightened to magnitude 3.5. The Toit, discovered five comets in similar fash­ comet became known officially as comet de ion. He was already an observer at Boyden Kock-Paraskevopoulos. when Bester joined, and discovered his five The period that follows was characterised comets from 1941-1945. He left astronomy by a number of accidental discoveries by to take up a business in the building trade, professionals. Hendrik van Gent discovered losing a leg in the process (Bester, private three comets and numerous minor planets communication, 2002 July). Curiously, three while photographing variable star fields with of Du Toit’s five comets can still be observed the Franklin Adams camera at the Leiden today. His first comet is 57P du Toit-Ncu- Southern Station. He arrived in 1928 and jmin-Dclporte, his second is 66P du Toit, and >duced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by tin Publisher (dated 2013. covered from South Africa. Known as the the as Known Africa. South from covered Symposium ASSA author’s the of copy a over tvlichielhanding Bester,on with the author, seen his third is 79P du Toit-Hartley. The latter latter The Toit-Hartley. du 79P is third his Ridgenewspaper. The most living comet discoverer.Photo (c) 2002 July, paper, inAfrica’s as Southcommemoration fore­ (1948) writing in writing (1948) fell astronomers that fact darkness The as 8 1947). the on (Jackson December f Africa o South The evening from 7. seen December was on comet Africa detected South first was outside it Comet, Southern Great here were unaware of its existence indicates indicates existence its of unaware were here the to due nucleus. recently its f o news breakup the in been has South African discovery. Paraskevopoulos Paraskevopoulos discovery. independent African an South considered be might it that n 97 aohr rgt oe ws dis­ was comet bright another 1947, In et Te ed aot antd 0] magnitude [about head The ject. clear sky. The observatory telephone telephone observatory The sky. a clear under out be to happened who one every­ practically by 1947 8 cember h oe. t a mgiiet ob­ magnificent a was It see comet. to the first the be to claimed person De­ of evening the on Africa south in seen first was object spectacular 'This rang almost continuously... and each each and continuously... almost rang Sky eft Telescope proceedings of the fifth symposium the fifth of proceedings reported: perihelion on December 2, and by Decem­ by and 2, at December been on had comet perihelion The separat­ 8.5 arcseconds. 6 and by 4.5 ed magnitude frag­ two were The ments refrac­ Observatory. Union 27-inch the the at tor with Bos, double be to den van cleus H W Dr 10, December On the 10-inch M etcalf cam era at Boyden Boyden at era cam etcalf M 10-inch the ber 16 had faded to magnitude 2.5-3. The The 2.5-3. magnitude to faded had 16 ber hwdteti ob unul. y Decem­ By quintuple. be to tail on the showed exposure minute 40 a night following nu­ the observed Astronomer, Union then ber 20 the comet was magnitude 4-5 and and 4-5 magnitude was comet the 20 ber ect t hm ie lig oe from home alking w hile w him to ts c je over several nights by Mrs H E Wood (Jack­ Wood E H Mrs by nights several over Johannes­ at continuously was comet photographed The 1998). (Bortle eye naked the comets, discovered in 1959, 1969, 1974 and and 1974 1969, 1959, in discovered comets, The later discoveries later The 1948). son to visible longer no was 25 December on meister, who was on a short visit from Son- Son- from visit short a on was who meister, four with up rounds discoveries of list Our when it became too low, and was sketched 4 sketched was January and low, until too 10 became it when December from burg Natal, and became interested in astronomy astronomy in interested became and Bennett. Natal, Jack own Pretoria’s to reference tak­ plate a on discovery 8at magnitude was Hoff- Cuno for taken plates examining while sa engr hsmohr onig u ob­ out pointing other m his teenager, a as per­ passing after fading was and 26, July en hlo o uy 15. July on ihelion comet The Germany. East old the in neberg He was born on 1914 April 6 in Estcourt, Estcourt, in 6 April 1914 on born was He 1978. Bester’s sixth comet was discovered discovered was comet sixth Bester’s 1978. No account would be complete without without complete be would account No extended upward for about 25 degrees degrees 25 for about upward extended tail curved slightly long 2-3‘3, the and western horizon at an altitude of only of altitude an at horizon western south­ the of direction the in pointed with its con vex side toward the west." the its toward con with vex side august 2003 august proceedings of the fifth symposium church, In 1968 Bennett took over as Di­ The last comet discovered from South rector of the ASS A Comet and Meteor Sec­ Africa was Haneda-Campos in 1978. Jose tion from S C Venter, and he was ASSA Campos observing from Durban, independ­ President in 1968-69. On 1968 July 16 he ently discovered comet D/1978 R1 on 1978 discovered a supernova in the galaxy M83, September 1, shortly after Toshio Haneda and on 1969 December 28, after 333 hours in Japan. The comet was magnitude 9, dif­ of comet searching he found his first com­ fuse with slight condensation. It made its et. He had been sweeping for only 15 min­ closest approach to Earth on September 9 utes when he found the magnitude 8.5 com­ and was at perihelion of its six year orbit et, small and diffuse with no tail. With per­ on October 9. After perihelion the comet ihelion only on 1970 March 20, the comet remained very faint and diffuse, and at its was on its way in and brightening, and by predicted return in 1984, no trace of the the end of January the comet was magni­ comet could be found. It remains an exam­ tude 7. During February it brightened to ple of a lost comet. magnitude 3, reaching perihelion on March 20 and closest approach to Earth on March Conclusion 26. By then it was magnitude 0, moving I hope this paper has given some idea of from Aquarius into Pegasus, with a beauti­ the rich history of comet discovery from ful curved tail of 10-12° containing fila­ South Africa, the discovery circumstances ments. In early April it was magnitude 1- of some of the comets and an introduction 2, sporting two tails, the longest about 20°, to the discoverers themselves. It is a sad and exclusively a northern object. By fact that South African comet discoveries month-end comet Bennett had faded to have dried up. magnitude 5, and to magnitude 9 by end A study of the facts would seem to indi­ May. With its bright, long, curved tail, com­ cate that South Africa is long overdue an­ et Bennett was one of the most memorable other comet discovery, even more so a com­ comets of recent times. et discovered from the Cape. The fact that Bennett’s second comet was very differ­ none have been discovered from here since ent. He discovered it the first clear night in a 1978 is not due to the lack of comets, since week, after a further 432 hours of search­ they are regularly discovered from Austral­ ing. Discovered on the morning of 1974 No­ ia. No, I presume it is rather due to the lack vember 13 with his 12cm Apogee scope, it of impetus on behalf of South Africans to was a magnitude 9 object resembling a glob­ cany our regular comet searching, and to ular cluster with no central condensation. the continual deterioration of our skies in The comet faded rapidly, becoming larger urban areas where most observers are resi­ and diffuse, and may well have been under­ dent. Clearly, many comets were discovered going an outburst at time of discovery. As a photographically during professional aster­ result, he concluded that suspects he ob­ oid and variable star search programs which served in 1965 March and 1966 February are no longer carried out, but the discovery may also have been undergoing outbursts by dedicated amateurs has also dried up. I which did not last long enough to secure hope that this trend can be reversed as we confirmatory observations. enter the 21st century.

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Acknowledgements McIntyre D. (1949) Comets in old Cape records. I would like to thank Gary Kronk, Brian Cape Times Limited, Cape Town. Warner, Cliff Turk and Steve Kleyn for val­ Moore P. & Collins P. (1977) Astronomy of uable information which enabled me to fill Southern Africa. Howard Timmins, Cape in some important facts. Special thanks go Town. to Shireen Davies, SAAO librarian, for kind­ Overbeek M. D. (1995) Amateur astronomy in ly allowing me to peruse books in the library, South Africa. Astrophysics & Space Science, and for providing the picture of Clement 230,479-493. Taylor. Last and not least, to Michiel Bester, Paraskevopoulos J. F. (1948) Sky & Telescope, for a wonderful afternoon of discussion 1948 February, p86. about his discoveries and life at Boyden in Petterson O. (1998) Great comets in history. Re­ the 1940s. trieved from [http://www.phys.canterbury .ac.nz/cas/comets.html] References Warner B. (1995) Royal Observatory, Cape of Airy G. (1851) Memoirs of the Royal Astronom­ Good Hope 1820-1831: The Founding of a ical Society, 19, 1. Colonial Observatory. Kluwer Academic Pub­ Bortle J. (1997) Great comets in history. Sky & lishers, Dordrecht. Telescope, 93(1), January 1997. Weir (1927) J, Comets and the Sun. Bortle J. (1998) J, The Bright Comet Chronicles. Retrieved from [http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/ bright_comet.html]. Forbes A. F. L (1931) JASSA, 3(1), 43. Gill D. (1882a) On Mr Finlay’s Pre-perihelion Observations of the Great Comet (b) 1882. Reprinted from MNRAS 43(6). Gill D. (1882b) On photographs of the Great Comet (b)J 882. MNRAS, 43(2). Gill D. (1882c) Note on the nucleus of the Great Comet (b)l 882. MNRAS, 43(6). Houghton H. E. (1947) Some South African am­ ateur astronomers. Reprinted in Wild, RA.T. (1980) (ed) MNASS A Vols. 1 -15 Condensed, p 12. Jackson (1947) J, The Great Southern Comet of 1947. Jackson J. (1948) Reprinted in Wild, P.A.T. (1980) (ed) MN ASSA Vols. 1 -15 Condensed, p 195. Kronk G. (1984) Comets, A descriptive cata­ logue. Enslow Publishers. (See also [http:// www.cometography.com])

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