Science. 1990 Mar 2;247(4946):1063-7. doi: 10.1126/science.247.4946.1063.
The recently discovered periodic comet Machholz 1986 VIII (1986e) travels closer to the sun than any known planet and any known comet with an orbital period of less than 150 years, thus providing astronomers with a unique object for studying cometary evolution. The comet is spiraling steadily closer to the sun, from perihelion distance q [unknown] 0.9 astronomical unit at about A.D. 700 to q [unknown] 0.13 at present (orbital period, 5.25 years), to an expected q [unknown] 0.03 by about 2450; should the comet survive such increasingly close perihelion passages, q will begin steadily to increase shortly thereafter. A review of observations made since discovery is presented, together with a discussion of numerical investigations of the comet's orbit over 4000 years and prospects for observing the upcoming return to perihelion in 1991.
最近发现的周期彗星 Machholz 1986VIII（1986e）比任何已知的行星和任何已知的轨道周期小于 150 年的彗星都更接近太阳，这为天文学家提供了一个独特的对象来研究彗星的演化。这颗彗星正稳定地螺旋状靠近太阳，从近日点距离 q [未知] 0.9 天文单位左右（轨道周期为 5.25 年）到现在的 q [未知] 0.13，预计到 2450 年将达到 q [未知] 0.03；如果彗星能幸存如此越来越接近近日点的轨道，那么 q 将在不久后开始稳定增加。本文介绍了自发现以来所做的观测回顾，并讨论了对彗星轨道的数值研究，以及在 1991 年观察即将到来的近日点回归的前景。
