Orbital motion, nucleus precession, and splitting of periodic Comet Brooks 2

Results of ten nongravitational orbital solutions are given for Comet Brooks 2, based on observations from the apparitions 1889-1980. The time history of the nongravitational parameters, including the transverse component A-sub-2, is vital for modeling the nucleus precession. The comet is obviously a fragment of a once larger object that split during a close encounter with Jupiter in 1886. Factors possibly responsible for the breakup are examined. A similarity between the orbital histories of P/Brooks 2 and P/Wild 2 is noted.