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Periodic comet with 7 year orbit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
129P/Shoemaker–Levy, also known as Shoemaker–Levy 3, is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It fits the definition of an Encke-type comet with (TJupiter > 3; a < aJupiter),[4] and is a quasi-Hilda comet.[5]
Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Carolyn S. Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker David H. Levy |
Discovery date | February 7, 1991 |
Designations | |
1990 XXVII; 1996 U1 | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
Aphelion | 4.676 AU |
Perihelion | 2.807 AU |
Semi-major axis | 3.741 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.2497 |
Orbital period | 7.237 a |
Inclination | 5.0108° |
Last perihelion | 2022-Nov-30[1] February 11, 2014[2] June 5, 2005 |
Next perihelion | 2031-Nov-05[3] |
This comet should not be confused with Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (D/1993 F2), which spectacularly crashed into Jupiter in 1994.
The nucleus of the comet is estimated to have a radius of 1.22 ± 0.1 km based on infrared imaging by the Spitzer Space Telescope.[6]
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