C/2018 V1 (Machholz–Fujikawa–Iwamoto) is a comet that follows a slightly hyperbolic trajectory. It was visually discovered on 7 November 2018 by Donald Machholz using an 18.5-inch reflecting telescope, and was independently co-discovered by Shigehisa Fujikawa and Masayuki Iwamoto. It reached perihelion on 3 December 2018.
Overview It was estimated to be between 8 and 10th magnitude from mid-November to mid-December 2018, visible in a small telescope. It was discovered by three amateur astronomers: by an observer in Colfax, California, USA and by two observers in Japan. The observations by three astronomers result in the name for the comet, Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto. The current orbit determination of this comet is based on 750 observations with a 37-day observation arc. Comet C/2018 V1 has a significant probability (72.6%) of having an extrasolar provenance although an origin in the Oort Cloud cannot be excluded. As the present-day value of its barycentric orbital eccentricity is greater than 1, this comet is currently escaping from the Solar System, aiming for interstellar space.
See also List of parabolic comets 72P/Denning–Fujikawa C/1983 J1 (Sugano–Saigusa–Fujikawa)
References
External links
C/2018 V1 at the JPL Small-Body Database MPEC 2018-V151: COMET C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto) Arizona Amateur Discovers New Dawn Comet — Here’s How To Find It Archived 13 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine Bob King, 11 November 2018 Comet C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto) Sky Charts and Coordinates Archived 15 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine