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226P/PIGOTT-LINEAR-KOWALSKI = P/2009 R2 = P/2003 A1 = P/1783 W1

Photometric data obtained by use of FOCAS-II software

                                   10x10  20x20  30x30  40x40  50x50  60x60   SNR   SB   COD

OBJECT        DATE       TIME        +/-    +/-    +/-    +/-    +/-    +/-     N  FWHM  CAT

------------  ---------- --------  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ----  ----  ---

226P          23/08/2016 02:54:12  15.32  14.88  14.62  14.46  14.38  14.30  11.2  16.2  B96

226P          23/08/2016 02:54:12*  0.06   0.18   0.21   0.22   0.24   0.25     2   3.0  CMC

226P          09/09/2016 03:00:14  16.51  15.73  15.32  15.07  14.89  14.82   7.4  17.4  B96

226P          09/09/2016 03:00:14*  0.04   0.04   0.07   0.09   0.06   0.07     5   3.3  CMC

226P          05/10/2016 02:36:27  16.58  15.92  15.58  15.37  15.20  15.04  10.5  18.5  B96

226P          05/10/2016 02:36:27*  0.09   0.05   0.03   0.04   0.03   0.03     3   3.8  USN

226P          06/10/2016 01:42:26  16.12  15.18  14.63  14.27  14.07  13.98   7.3  17.9  B96

226P          06/10/2016 01:42:26*  0.05   0.06   0.07   0.07   0.06   0.06     4   3.7  CMC

226P          04/12/2016 22:02:02  16.41  15.69  15.29  15.06  14.92  14.84  15.0  18.2  B96

226P          04/12/2016 22:02:02*  0.05   0.05   0.11   0.12   0.12   0.12     4   3.7  USN

226P          05/01/2017 19:26:40  17.17  16.52  16.23  16.13  16.19          9.8  18.1  B96

226P          05/01/2017 19:26:40*  0.04   0.09   0.10   0.12   0.15            6   3.9  USN

226P          21/01/2017 20:34:00  18.41  17.61  17.24  17.13  17.08          2.9  18.2  B96

226P          21/01/2017 20:34:00*  0.21   0.19   0.11   0.11   0.05            4   3.9  USN

226P          26/01/2017 20:26:51  18.06  16.93                               2.6  18.0  B96

226P          26/01/2017 20:26:51*  0.07   0.12                                 5   3.8  USN

226P          09/01/2024 18:28:23  16.34  15.78  15.37  15.13  15.00  14.88  11.9  17.5  B96

226P          09/01/2024 18:28:23*  0.04   0.01   0.03   0.01   0.03   0.02     2   3.8  Gai

226P          16/01/2024 18:52:24  16.33  15.67  15.51  15.41  15.48          5.2  16.7  B96

226P          16/01/2024 18:52:24*  0.03   0.09   0.04   0.09   0.19            3   3.3  Gai

                                                                     AFRHO         LOG

COMET         UTC                   DELTA    r    BOX "   MAG   RSR    CM    +/-  AFRHO  OBS

------------  -------------------   -----  -----  -----  -----  ---  -----  ----  -----  ---

226P          23/08/2016 02:54:12    1.65   1.78  16.68  15.00   11     84     7  1.922  B96

226P          09/09/2016 03:00:14    1.47   1.78  18.74  15.84    7     30     4  1.481  B96

226P          05/10/2016 02:36:27    1.21   1.80  22.85  15.84   11     21     2  1.318  B96

226P          06/10/2016 01:42:26    1.20   1.80  23.02  15.03    7     43     6  1.638  B96

226P          04/12/2016 22:02:02    1.06   1.96  26.00  15.49   15     26     2  1.422  B96

226P          05/01/2017 19:26:40    1.38   2.10  19.91  16.62   10     18     2  1.261  B96

226P          21/01/2017 20:34:00    1.60   2.17  17.21  17.85    3      8     3  0.929  B96

226P          09/01/2024 18:28:23    1.60   1.78  17.19  15.88   12     35     3  1.542  B96

226P          16/01/2024 18:52:24    1.68   1.78  16.38  15.94    5     37     7  1.564  B96

Edward Pigott of York, England, discovered Comet 226P in November 19, 1783, so long ago that Charles Messier himself observed it. Edward Pigott of York, England first spotted Comet Pigott on November 19, 1783. Astronomy ran in the Pigott family as his father was also a well known astronomer. The comet was lost after the 1783 apparition. Due to the primitive state of measuring comet positions as well as orbit determination, it was not unusual for comets to be lost until rediscovered at a later time.

That later time came in January of 2003 when the LINEAR survey found a “new” comet with their telescopes outside of Socorro, New Mexico. Within days of its discovery the LINEAR comet, now designated Comet C/2003 A1 (LINEAR), a suggestion was made that it might be a return of long-lost Comet Pigott. Unfortunately, it was not possible to made a definite link between the 2003 LINEAR comet and Piggot’s 1783 find. The comet would have to wait till it was observed at yet another apparition.

Recovery: On the night of 2009 Sept 10.4, Rich Kowalski of the Catalina Sky Survey was surveying the sky for unknown comet and asteroids when he came across a possible new comet . D. Chestnov linked the new designated P/2009 R2 to P/2003 A1 (LINEAR). Probably due to a strong perturbation by Jupiter at the time of its aphelion (Sept. 2006), P/2009 R2 was found significantly off track (nearly 17 deg northeast of P/2003 A1 original ephemerids position).  IAUC No. 9073, published shortly after, informed us that B. G. Marsden successfully linked 14 astrometric data points collected in 1783 on comet Pigott (1783 W1) with the positions available so far on P/2009 R2 & P/2003 A1, establishing then that comet Pigott (1783 W1) had the same identity of P/2009 R2 & P/2003 A1.