Recovery of Returning Halley-Type Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks With the Lowell Discovery Telescope

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful recovery of the returning Halley-type comet 12P/Pons-Brooks using the Lowell Discovery Telescope, providing insights into its activity and physical characteristics at a large heliocentric distance.

Contribution

It presents the first recovery of 12P/Pons-Brooks at 11.89 au and estimates its nucleus size, offering new observational data on this comet's activity.

Findings

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was recovered at 11.89 au.

The comet may have been active since about 30 au from the Sun.

Estimated nucleus radius is 17±6 km, likely an overestimate.

Abstract

We report the recovery of returning Halley-type comet 12P/Pons-Brooks using the 4.3 m Lowell Discovery Telescope, at a heliocentric distance of 11.89 au. Comparative analysis with a dust model suggests that the comet may have been active since $\sim30$ au from the Sun. We derive a nucleus radius of $17\pm6$ km from the nucleus photometry, though this number is likely an overestimation due to the contamination from dust and gas. Continuing monitoring is encouraged in anticipation of the comet's forthcoming perihelion in 2024 April.