Christchurch Astronomer Discovers New Comet

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31145, 23 August 1966, Page 18

Christchurch Astronomer Discovers New Comet

(N.Z. Press Association) TIMARU, August 22. A new comet was discovered by Mr A. Thomas, a staff member of the Mount John (Lake Tekapo) University Astronomical Observatory, on Saturday morning, and con--firmed by a second sighting early today. The comet was discovered by an overseas observer on August 15, but Mr Thomas will remain as an independent discoverer because he—and the Carter National Observatory in Wellington—was not aware of the original sighting at the time. Mr Thomas, of Christchurch, made his discovery when inspecting photographic plates taken for his “atlas” of the southern sky at 3.50 a.m. A second plate taken at 5.11 a.m. today again showed the comet to prove his sighting. The officer in charge of the observatory, Mr F. M. Bateson, described the comet today as having a small centre nucleus and a very short tail, and moving south-east in the sky toward the Sun. “It is faint and completely invisible to the naked eye, but we are hoping it will brighten,” said Mr Bateson. “The tiny image is hard to see, and the sighting reflects great credit on Mr Thomas.” Mr Bateson said the observatory staff made an exhaustive study of the plates and 4

charts of the sky before deciding that a new comet had been discovered, and passing on the information to the Carter National Observatory in Wellington for relay to the International Astronomical Union and observers throughout the world. Soon after the Carter Observatory accepted the information from Mount John today it received cabled advice from the Astronomical Union that an independent observer overseas had also sighted the comet. ‘This news does not detract from Mr Thomas’s fine work, and he remains an independent discoverer,” Mr Bateson said. Questioned on the possible naming of the comet, Mr Bateson said it was usual to give the name of the discoverer to a new comet, but where there was more than one independent discoverer, as in this case, it was possible the union might consider a joint name. However, it would be several months before that point was decided.

Appeal Allowed.—Mr Justice McGregor yesterday allowed an appeal by David Athol Stock, a consulting structural engineer, of Christchurch, for registration as an architect.—(P.A.)