Comet Arend–Roland
 |
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
Sylvain Arend, Georges Roland |
| Discovery date | 1956 |
| Alternative designations |
1957 III, 1956h, C/1956 R1 |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch | 2435920.5 (March 23, 1957) |
| Aphelion | N/A |
| Perihelion | 0.31604 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 45,000 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.00024 1.000199 (epoch 1977+) |
| Orbital period | N/A |
| Inclination | 119.94° |
| Last perihelion | April 8, 1957 |
| Next perihelion | ejection |
Comet Arend–Roland was discovered on November 8, 1956, by Belgian astronomers Sylvain Arend and Georges Roland on photographic plates. As the eighth comet found in 1956, it was named Arend–Roland 1956h after its discoverers. Because it was the third comet to pass through perihelion during 1957, it was then renamed 1957 III. Finally, it received the standard IAU designation C/1956 R1 (Arend–Roland), with the 'C/' indicating it was a non-periodic comet and the R1 showing it was the first comet reported as discovered in the half-month designated by R. The last is equivalent to the period September 1–15.
In November 1956, a double astrograph at the Uccle Observatory in Brussels was being used for routine investigation of minor planets. On November 8, 1956, the Belgian astronomers Sylvain Arend and Georges Roland discovered a comet on their photographic plates. At that time the comet was at visual magnitude 10, with a strong central condensation and a short tail. The early discovery of this comet allowed observing programs and equipment to be prepared well in advance.
The orbital elements for this comet were computed by Michael P. Candy, who predicted perihelion passage on April 8, 1957. As the comet was already well developed, he predicted that the object would present a prominent display during the month of April in the northern hemisphere. In early December the comet was 2.5 AU from the Sun and 1.7 AU from the Earth. It was in the constellation Pisces until February, when it reached magnitude 7.5–8.
During the April perihelion passage, the tail of the comet reached a length of 15° of arc. The appearance of the tail varied, with streamers on April 16 and May 5, and the tail splitting into three beams on the 29th. By April 22 the comet also displayed a prominent anomalous tail (or antitail) spanning 5°. This antitail stretched out to span 12° on April 25, reaching its maximum extent. The antitail had disappeared by April 29.
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