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Periodic comet with 8 year orbit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[3] The comet has been seen at every apparition.
Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Arnold Schwassmann Arno Arthur Wachmann |
Discovery date | January 17, 1929 |
Designations | |
1929 I; 1935 III; 1942 I; 1948 VII; 1955 I; 1961 VII; 1968 II; 1974 XIII; 1981 VI; 1987 XIX; 1994 II | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
Aphelion | 5.048 AU |
Perihelion | 3.416 AU |
Semi-major axis | 4.232 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.1928 |
Orbital period | 8.705 a |
Inclination | 4.5487° |
Last perihelion | July 6, 2019 September 29, 2010[1] January 18, 2002[1] |
Next perihelion | 2028-03-19[2] |
The comet nucleus is estimated to be 6.2 kilometers in diameter.[4] In 1929, the astronomer Anne Sewell Young identified the comet with an object that had been misidentified as the minor planet "Adelaide" (A904 EB).[5]
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