Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel [1] |
Discovery date | July 4, 1873 |
Designations | |
1873 II; 1878 III; 1894 III; 1899 IV; 1904 III; 1915 I; 1920 II; 1925 IV; 1930 VII; 1946 III; 1951 VIII; 1957 II; 1962 VI; 1967 X; 1972 X; 1978 V; 1983 X; 1988 XIV; 1994 VII; | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | 2026-07-19 (JD 2461240.5) [2] |
Aphelion | 4.71 AU |
Perihelion | 1.418 AU |
Semi-major axis | 3.065 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.5374 |
Orbital period | 5.37 yr |
Inclination | 12.03° |
117.8° | |
Argument of periapsis | 195.5° |
Last perihelion | 24 March 2021 [2] 14 November 2015 [2] [3] 4 July 2010 [4] [5] |
Next perihelion | 2026-Aug-02 [2] [6] |
Earth MOID | 0.41 AU (61 million km) |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 10.6 km [1] |
10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with a 5-year orbital period. It was discovered on July 4, 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel. [7] At the perihelion passage on 2 August 2026 the solar elongation is calculated at 164 degrees, with apparent magnitude approximately 8, [4] with closest approach to Earth on 3 August 2026 at a distance of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km ). [1]
Date & time of closest approach | Earth distance (AU) | Sun distance (AU) | Velocity wrt Earth (km/s) | Velocity wrt Sun (km/s) | Uncertainty region (3-sigma) | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026-Aug-03 20:59 ± 1 min | 0.414 AU (61.9 million km ; 38.5 million mi ; 161 LD ) | 1.42 AU (212 million km; 132 million mi) | 6.5 | 31.0 | ± 204 km | Horizons |
The comet nucleus is estimated to be roughly the size of Halley's Comet at 10.6 kilometers in diameter with a low albedo of 0.022. [1] The nucleus is dark because hydrocarbons on the surface have been converted to a dark, tar like substance by solar ultraviolet radiation. The nucleus is large enough that even near aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun which is near the orbit of Jupiter) the comet remains brighter than about magnitude 21.
During the 2010 apparition the comet brightened to about apparent magnitude 8. [4] The most favorable apparition of 10P/Tempel 2 was in 1925 when it came within 0.35 AU (52 million km ; 33 million mi ) of Earth with an apparent magnitude of 6.5. [7]
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a flyby of the comet with a flight spare of Mariner 4. [8] The probe was instead used for a Venus flyby as Mariner 5. [8]
Comet 4P/Faye is a periodic Jupiter-family comet discovered in November 1843 by Hervé Faye at the Royal Observatory in Paris. Its most recent perihelia were on November 15, 2006; May 29, 2014; and September 8, 2021.
28P/Neujmin, also known as Neujmin 1, is a large periodic comet in the Solar System. With a perihelion distance of 1.5AU, this comet does not make close approaches to the Earth.
31P/Schwassmann–Wachmann, also known as Schwassmann–Wachmann 2, is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It was discovered on January 17, 1929, at an apparent magnitude of 11. The comet has been seen at every apparition.
41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák is a periodic comet in the Solar System. The comet nucleus is estimated to be 1.4 kilometers in diameter.
74P/Smirnova–Chernykh is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It fits the definition of an Encke-type comet with, and is a Quasi-Hilda comet. It was discovered in late March 1975 by Tamara Mikhajlovna Smirnova while examining exposures from the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. In the discovery images the comet had an apparent magnitude of ~15. In the year of discovery, the comet came to perihelion on August 6, 1975.
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7P/Pons–Winnecke is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with a six-year orbit. Early calculations for the 1921 apparition suggested that the orbit of the comet might collide with Earth in June, but observations on 10 April ruled out an impact. It made a very close approach to Earth in June 1927. The outward migration of perihelion created impressive meteor showers in 1916, 1921 and 1927.
11P/Tempel–Swift–LINEAR is a periodic Jupiter-family comet in the Solar System.
Comet Finlay is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 6 years discovered by William Henry Finlay on September 26, 1886. The next perihelion passage is July 13, 2021 when the comet will have a solar elongation of 54 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude 10. It last came to perihelion on December 27, 2014, at around magnitude 10. Of the numbered periodic comets, the orbit of 15P/Finlay has one of the smallest minimum orbit intersection distances with the orbit of Earth (E-MOID). In October 2060 the comet will pass about 5 million km from Earth.
20D/Westphal was a periodic comet with an orbital period of 61 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet. The comet appeared to disintergrate during the 1913 apparition and hasn't been observed since then.
Comet Kopff or 22P/Kopff is a periodic comet in the Solar System. Discovered on August 23, 1906, it was named after August Kopff who discovered the comet. The comet was missed on its November 1912 return, but was recovered on its June 1919 return and has been seen at every apparition since. Close approaches to Jupiter in 1938 and 1943 decreased the perihelion distance and orbital period. 22P/Kopff’s last perihelion passage was 18 March 2022. On 13 July 2028 it will pass 0.353 AU (52.8 million km) from Earth.
Comet Schaumasse is a periodic comet discovered by Alexandre Schaumasse on 1 December 1911 as 12th magnitude. It next comes to perihelion on 8 January 2026 and should brighten to about magnitude 9.
Comet 30P/Reinmuth, also known as Comet Reinmuth 1, is a periodic comet in the Solar System, first discovered by Karl Reinmuth on February 22, 1928.
Comet Hartley 2, designated as 103P/Hartley by the Minor Planet Center, is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of 6.48 years. It was discovered by Malcolm Hartley in 1986 at the Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. Its diameter is estimated to be 1.2 to 1.6 kilometres.
94P/Russell 4 is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It fits the definition of an Encke-type comet with. It was discovered by Ken Rusell on photographic plates taken by M. Hawkins on March 7, 1984. In the discovery images, Russell estimated that the comet had an apparent magnitude of 13 and a noticeable tail of 5 arc minutes. In the year of discovery, the comet had come to perihelion in January 1984.
43P/Wolf–Harrington is a periodic comet discovered on December 22, 1924, by Max Wolf in Heidelberg, Germany. In 2019 it passed within 0.065 AU of Jupiter, which lifted the perihelion point and increased the orbital period to 9 years.
82P/Gehrels is a periodic comet that was discovered on October 27, 1975, by Tom Gehrels at the Palomar Mountain Observatory in California having a faint nuclear brightness of magnitude 17.
62P/Tsuchinshan, also known as Tsuchinshan 1, is a periodic comet first discovered January 1, 1965 at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanking. It last came to perihelion on 25 December 2023 at around apparent magnitude 8, and was then 0.53 AU (79 million km) from Earth and 110 degrees from the Sun.
Comet 252P/LINEAR is a periodic comet and near-Earth object discovered by the LINEAR survey on April 7, 2000. The comet is a Jupiter family comet, meaning that it passes quite close to the orbit of Jupiter.