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Canadian Comets

Click the Discovery Name (New Style Name after 1994) to link to the more information for the comet.

Click the name of the Canadian (co)-Discoverer to read more on the Canadian Comet Tales page.

New Style Namea) Proper 
Namea)		 Old-Style
Namea)		 Discovery Name a) Discovery Date  Canadian (co-)
Discoverer 		   Notes  Methodb)
C/1974 V1  van den Bergh 1974 XII  1974g 1974-11-11  Sidney van den Bergh 1st Canadian  P
C/1978 H1  Meier 1978 XXI  1978f 1978-04-27  Rolf Meier 1st of 4 comets.
1st from Canada.		 V
C/1979 S1  Meier  1979 IX  1979i 1979-09-20  Rolf Meier 2  V
C/1980 V1  Meier  1980 XII  1980q  1980-11-06  Rolf Meier 3  V
C/1984 S1  Meier  1984 XX  1984o 1984-09-17  Rolf Meier 4  V
C/1984 V1  Levy-Rudenko  1984 XXIII  1984t  1984-11-14 (David Levy) 1st of 21 comets. V
C/1986 P1  Wilson  1987 VII  1986l 1986-08-05  Christine Wilson    P
C/1987 A1  Levy  1986 XVII 1987a 1987-01-05  David Levy 2  V
C/1987 T1 Levy  1987 XXi  1987y 1987-10-11  David Levy 3  V
C/1988 F1  Levy  1987 XXX  1988e 1988-03-19 David Levy 4  V
C/1989 Q1  Okazaki-Levy-Rudenko 1989 XIX  1989r 1989-08-25 (David Levy) 5  V
C/1989 Y1  Skorichenko-George 1990 VI  1989e1 1989-12-18 Doug George 5th from Canada V
C/1990 K1  Levy 1990 XX 1990c 1990-05-20  David Levy 6  V
137P/1990 UL3  Shoemaker-Levy 2 1990 XVI  1990p 1990-10-? (David Levy) 7 P
P/1990 VI  Shoemaker-Levy 1  1990 XV  1990o 1990-11-15 (David Levy) 8  P
C/1991 B1  Shoemaker-Levy  1991 XXIV  1991d 1991-01-22 (David Levy)  9  P
129P/1991 C1  Shoemaker-Levy 3  1990 XXVII  1991e 1991-02-07 (David Levy)  10  P
118P/1991 C2  Shoemaker-Levy 4  1990 XII  1991f 1991-02-09 (David Levy)  11  P
P/1991 L3  Levy  1991XI  1991q 1991-06-14  David Levy 12 V
P/1991 T1  Shoemaker-Levy 5  1991 XXII  1991z 1991-10-02 (David Levy)  13  P
C/1991 T2  Shoemaker-Levy  1992 XIX  1991a1 1991-10-06 (David Levy) 14  P
P/1991 V1  Shoemaker-Levy 6  1991 XVIII  1991b1 1991-11-07 (David Levy) 15  P
138P/1991 V2  Shoemaker-Levy 7  1991 XIX  1991d1 1991-11-13 (David Levy)  16  P
135P/1992 G2  Shoemaker-Levy 8  1992 XV  1992f 1992-04-05  (David Levy) 17  P
D/1993 F2 Shoemaker-Levy 9  1994 X  1993e (photo) 1993-03-24 (David Levy) 18
"String of Pearls"		 P
C/1993 K1  Shoemaker-Levy  1994 IV  1993h 1993-05-23  (David Levy)  19  P
C/1994 E2  Shoemaker-Levy  1994 XIV  1994d 1994-03-14 (David Levy)  20  P
C/1994 G1  Takamizawa-Levy  1994 XIII  1994f 1994-04-15 (David Levy) 21  V
P/1995 A1 Jedicke      1995-01-08  Robert Jedicke 1st  of 2 comets.
1st  "new style" name		 CCD
P/1996 A1 Jedicke (photo)     1996-01-19  Robert Jedicke and Victoria Jedicke 2 CCD
C/1997 L1 Zhu-Balam      1997-06-03 (David Balam) 6th from Canada CCD
C/2001 Q2 Petriew 
         (web page)		     2001-08-18  Vance Avery Petriew  7th from Canada V
P/2002 BV Yeung     2002-01-21 William Kwong Yu Yeung (photo)   CCD
C/2006 T1 Levy     2006-10-02 David Levy 1st in 12 years! V/CCD
C/2008 T2 Cardinal     2008-10-01 Robert Cardinal (photo)  8thfrom Canada CCD

a) For more information on comet naming conventions, go to http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/CometLists.html

b) V = visual , P =  photographic emulsion, CCD = discovery using charge-coupled device.

Other Canadian Comet Connections

  • Mike Boschat has reported over 50 comets observed in SOHO images, and was awarded the RASC's Ken Chilton prize for his accomplishments.
  • Art Fraser independently found Comet Kobayashi-Berger-Milon (1975h), before word arrived in Ottawa of the comet's discovery a week earlier. (Remember the days of snail-mail?)
  • Lillia Wilcox also found Comet Kobayashi-Berger-Milon (1975h). ? (I need help with this story!)
  • Thanks to Gary W. Kronk for offering some tales of Canadian almost-discoveries.
  • Christopher Spratt independently discovered Comet Takamizawa(1994i)on May 8th, 1994.

Does anyone know of any others?  Please contact David Chapman.