 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Rudolf Ferdinand Spitaler |
| Discovery date | November 17, 1890 |
| Designations | |
| 1890 VII, 1890 W1, 1993 U2 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | February 20, 2001 |
| Perihelion | 2.127 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.69 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.423 |
| Orbital period | 7.09 a |
| Inclination | 5.775° |
| Last perihelion | June 1, 2022 [1] April 23, 2015 March 23, 2008 |
| Next perihelion | 2029-Jul-11 [2] |
Comet Spitaler is a periodic comet in the Solar System discovered by Rudolf Ferdinand Spitaler (Vienna, Austria) on November 17, 1890, while attempting to observe Comet Zona (C/1890 V1).
Spitaler, together with G. M. Searle, J. F. Tennant, and J. R. Hind, calculated orbits based on the observations, but despite predictions of a return in 1897, it was lost and remained so for the next few decades.
On October 24, 1993, the comet was rediscovered by J. V. Scotti (Spacewatch, Kitt Peak Observatory, Arizona, United States), it was confirmed as Spitaler's comet when Brian G. Marsden connected the 1890 and 1994 apparitions.
