29P / Schwassmann security guard 1
| 29P / Schwassmann security guard 1 [i] | |
|---|---|
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| Properties of the orbit ( animation ) | |
| Orbit type | short-term |
| Numerical eccentricity | 0.0421 |
| Perihelion | 5.76 AU |
| Aphelion | 6.26 AU |
| Major semi-axis | 6.01 AU |
| Sidereal period | 14.73 a |
| Inclination of the orbit plane | 9.38 ° |
| Perihelion | April 13, 2019 |
| Physical properties of the core | |
| Medium diameter | 30.8 km |
| history | |
| Explorer | F. Schwassmann , A. Wachmann |
| Date of discovery | November 15, 1925 |
| Older name | 1908 IV, 1925 II, 1941 VI, 1957 IV, 1974 II, 1989 XV, 1927i |
| Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . Please also note the note on comet articles . | |
The comet 29P / Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 , also called SW1 for short, was discovered photographically in 13th size class on November 15, 1925 by Friedrich Karl Arnold Schwassmann and Arthur Arno Wachmann at the Hamburg observatory in Bergedorf . In 1931 the comet was also found on old images from March 4, 1902 in magnitude 12.
It is currently believed that the comet belongs to the centaur family, of which 45 objects are known. These bodies are small and icy with an orbit in the solar system between Jupiter and Neptune . Astronomers suspect that the centaurs drifted inward from the Kuiper Belt a long time ago.
The dust and gas in the comet's nucleus come from the same primordial material that formed the sun and planets billions of years ago.
In general, the brightness curve can be calculated well in advance, but there are isolated outbreaks of up to 4 magnitudes.