103P / Hartley 2nd

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103P / Hartley 2 [i]
The core of 103P / Hartley 2
The core of 103P / Hartley 2
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Epoch:  May 29, 2009 ( JD 2,454,980.5)
Orbit type short-term
Numerical eccentricity 0.695
Perihelion 1.06 AU
Aphelion 5.88 AU
Major semi-axis 3.47 AU
Sidereal period 6.46 years
Inclination of the orbit plane 13.6 °
Perihelion October 28, 2010
Orbital velocity in the perihelion 37.7 km / s
Physical properties of the core
Medium diameter 1.6 km see article text
history
Explorer Malcolm Hartley
Date of discovery March 15, 1986
Older name 1985 V, 1991 XV, 1986c, 1991t
Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . Please also note the note on comet articles .

103P / Hartley 2 is a short- period comet with an orbital period of 6.46 years. It was discovered in 1986 by Malcolm Hartley with the UK Schmidt Telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory .

Observation and exploration

Observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope in August 2008 showed that the comet's nucleus has a radius of 0.57 ± 0.08 km and an albedo of 0.028. The mass of the comet is estimated to be around 3 ∙ 10 11  kg. If the core does not break apart or collide with another object, with its momentary loss of mass it will still be visible from earth about 100 times (this corresponds to 700 years).

On October 20, 2010, the comet flew past Earth at a distance of 0.12  AU , just eight days before its perihelion (its closest distance to the Sun) on October 28, 2010. During this time, the comet was able to move with an apparent magnitude of about 5 may be observed with the naked eye in the constellation Swan in good weather conditions . It is believed that after passing through 2010, Hartley 2 will next pass perihelion on April 20, 2017.

The Deep Impact spacecraft passed 103P / Hartley 2 on November 4, 2010 as part of the EPOXI mission at a distance of 700 km.

See also

Web links

Commons : Comet Hartley 2  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 103P / Hartley 2 . Jet Propulsion Laboratory. June 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b c C. M. Lisse, Fernandez; Reach; Farmer; A'Hearn; Farnham; et al .: Spitzer Space Telescope Observations of the Nucleus of Comet 103P / Hartley 2 . In: American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting # 41, # 20.08 . 121, 2009, pp. 968-975. Retrieved February 23, 2010. ( arxiv )
  3. ↑ JPL Close-Approach Data: 103P / Hartley 2 . July 4, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  4. ↑ Jonathan Shanklin: Comet Prospects for 2010 (PDF; 32 kB) British Astronomical Association (Comet Section). Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  5. ^ History of Comet 103P / Hartley 2. Retrieved March 12, 2013 .
  6. ↑ Donald K. Yeomans and Alan B. Chamberlin: Horizons Ephemeris . JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  7. ^ Deep Impact Extended Mission Heads for Comet Hartley 2 , University of Maryland, College Park . December 13, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2009.