The Family Tree of the Kracht Group Comets

The images are close to the maximum brightnesses of the comets (in C2). The times are indicated in hours from perihelion (T). Small circles mark stars found by Astrometrica.The images are cropped images from this page.


C/1996 X3 (T-1h), C/1996 X4 (T+1h), C/1996 X5 (T-0h) are supposed to have returned in 2002 September:


C/2002 S4 (T+9h), C/2002 S5 (T+8h), C/2002 S7 (T+10h). These comets were expected to return 2008 June 28 - July 03.
Only C/2002 S7 returned as C/2008 N4 (T-6h) early on 2008 July 04, but a few hours later than expected.
The pair C/2002 S7 = 2008 N4 could be linked with 1996 X3 with small nongravitational forces (MPEC 2009-J14).
It seems probable that C/1996 X4 = 2002 S4 and C/1996 X5 = 2002 S5.

 


C/1999 M3 (T+6h). This comet is supposed to have returned in 2004 May with eight fragments C/2004 J4 (T-3h) and:



C/2004 J12 (T-1h), C/2004 J20 (T-1h), C/2004 J13 (T-2h), C/2004 J15 (T-1h), C/2004 J16 (T-1h), C/2004 J17 (T-0h), C/2004 J18 (T-2h)

 


C/1999 N6 (T+7h) is supposed to have returned as C/2004 L10 (T+4h).


C/2009 L8 (T+3h), C/2009 L13 (T+4h), C/2009 Y (T+1h) are returns of 2004 comets.

 


C/2000 O3 (T-1h) has returned as C/2005 W4 (T-3h). The next perihelion passage is 2011 March 10.

 


C/2001 Q7 (T+2h), C/2001 Q8 (T+2h), C/2001 R8 (T+4h), C/2001 R9 (T+5h). These comets were not observed at their next returns expected for 2006 or 2007.

 


C/2002 N2 (T+6h), this comet seems to be part of the middle/main strand of the Kracht group comets. It was not observed at its previous or next return.

 


C/2002 Q8 (T+3h) has returned as C/2008 E4 (T+6h). The comet was not observed at its previous perihelion passage 1997 February 13/14.


C/2002 Q10 (T+3h) has returned as C/2008 G6 (T-10h). The comet was not observed at its previous perihelion passage 1997 January 07.

 


C/2002 S11 (T+12h) has returned as C/2008 R7 (T+5h). The comet was not observed at its previous perihelion passage 1996 October 21.


C/2004 A3 (T-4h) and C/2004 B3 (T+10h)