Comet Swift–Tuttle
Comet Swift–Tuttle (formally designated 109P/Swift–Tuttle) is a large periodic comet with a 1995 (osculating) orbital period of 133 years that is in a 1:11 orbital resonance with Jupiter. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet, which has an orbital period between 20 and 200 years. The comet was independently discovered by Lewis Swift on July 16, 1862 and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on July 19, 1862.
Perseid meteor, originating from Comet Swift-Tuttle, from the ISS | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Lewis Swift Horace Parnell Tuttle |
| Discovery date | July 16, 1862 |
| Designations | |
| 1737 N1; 1737 II; 1862 O1; 1862 III; 1992 S2; 1992 XXVIII | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | October 10, 1995 (JD 2450000.5) |
| Aphelion | 51.225 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.9595 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 26.092 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.9632 |
| Orbital period | 133.28 yr 133y 7m (perihelion to perihelion) |
| Max. orbital speed | 42.6 km/s (26.5 mi/s) |
| Min. orbital speed | 0.8 km/s (0.50 mi/s) (2059-Dec-12) |
| Inclination | 113.45° |
| Last perihelion | December 12, 1992 |
| Next perihelion | July 12, 2126 |
| Earth MOID | 0.0009 AU (130,000 km; 84,000 mi) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 26 km (16 mi) |
| Orbital period at different passages | |||||||
| Perihelion date | Orbital period (years) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2392-09-16 | 132.7 | ||||||
| 2261-08-10 | 134.6 | ||||||
| 2126-07-12 | 136.2 | ||||||
| 1992-12-12 | 135.0 | ||||||
| 1862-08-23 | 131.7 | ||||||
| 1737-06-15 | 127.8 | ||||||
| 1610-02-06 | 130.5 | ||||||
| 1479-10-18 | 133.4 | ||||||
| 1348-05-02 | 135.0 | ||||||
Its nucleus is 26 km (16 mi) in diameter. Swift–Tuttle is the parent body of the Perseid meteor shower, perhaps the best known shower and among the most reliable in performance.
The comet made a return appearance in 1992, when it was rediscovered by Japanese astronomer Tsuruhiko Kiuchi and became visible with binoculars. It was last observed in April 1995 when it was 8.6 AU (1.3 billion km) from the Sun. In 2126, it will be a bright naked-eye comet reaching an apparent magnitude of about 0.7.