55P / Tempel-Tuttle
| 55P / Tempel-Tuttle [i] | |
|---|---|
| Properties of the orbit ( animation ) | |
| Orbit type | short-term |
| Numerical eccentricity | 0.906 |
| Perihelion | 0.976 AU |
| Aphelion | 19,700 AU |
| Major semi-axis | 10,338 AU |
| Sidereal period | 33 a 88 d |
| Inclination of the orbit plane | 162.487 ° |
| Perihelion | February 28, 1998 |
| Orbital velocity in the perihelion | 41.62 km / s |
| Physical properties of the core | |
| Medium diameter | ~ 3.5 km |
| history | |
| Explorer | EWL temple , |
| Date of discovery | December 19, 1865 |
| Older name | - |
| Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . Please also note the note on comet articles . | |
Tempel-Tuttle (official name 55P / Tempel-Tuttle ) is a short- period comet , which was discovered independently on December 19, 1865 by Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel and on January 6, 1866 by Horace Parnell Tuttle .
Orbit
In around 33 years the comet will orbit the sun in an elliptical orbit between 0.98 ( perihelion ) and 19.70 ( aphelion ) astronomical units , the orbital eccentricity is 0.906. The orbit is inclined about 18 ° to the ecliptic , but since the comet moves retrograde (retrograde) around the sun, its orbit inclination is given as 162 °.
Tempel-Tuttle orbits the sun in a 5:14 orbit resonance with the planet Jupiter . As a result, the comet's orbit is only slightly disturbed by the giant planet's gravity .
history
There are no observations of the comet from its return in 1899 and 1932, so that the comet could not be found again until 1965 after its discovery in 1865/66. The last perihelion passage so far took place on February 28, 1998.
Orbital calculations have shown that a sighting of a comet in 1366 was around Tempel-Tuttle, which at that time had approached the earth to within 0.023 astronomical units. The comet was also observed at a further approach in 1699 (0.064 AU).
Meteor shower
With each orbit, the comet loses matter in the form of gases, rock and dust particles. Every year, around November 17th, the earth crosses the orbit of the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Comet particles enter the earth's atmosphere at high speed and can be observed as the meteor shower of the Leonids . The astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli succeeded in identifying Tempel-Tuttle as the mother body of the Leonids in 1867.