 Comet Wild 1 taken from thePalomar Transient Factory on 4 April 2013 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Paul Wild |
| Discovery site | Zimmerwald Observatory, Switzerland |
| Discovery date | 26 March 1960 |
| Designations | |
| P/1960 G1 P/1973 A2 | |
| Wild 1 1960b, 1973c 1960 I, 1973 VIII[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch | 1 March 2014 (JD 2456717.5) |
| Observation arc | 19,491 days (53.36 years) |
| Number of observations | 1,948 |
| Aphelion | 9.2249 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9506 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 5.5877 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.65092 |
| Orbital period | 13.21 years |
| Inclination | 19.780° |
| 358.002° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 169.030° |
| Last perihelion | 10 April 2013 |
| Next perihelion | 6 July 2026[3] |
| TJupiter | 2.412 |
| EarthMOID | 0.9603 AU |
| JupiterMOID | 1.3067 AU |
| Physical characteristics[4][5] | |
| Dimensions | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) |
| 0.04 | |
| (V–R) =0.50±0.05 | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 6.5 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 14.3 |
63P/Wild is aperiodiccomet in theSolar System with a current orbital period of 13.21 years. It will next come to perihelion on 6 July 2026.
It was first detected byPaul Wild at theZimmerwald Observatory of the Astronomical Institute of Bern, Switzerland on a photographic plate exposed on 26 March 1960, who estimated its brightness at a magnitude of 14.3. Its elliptical orbit was then calculated to have an orbital period of 13.17 years.[6]
Its predicted reappearance in 1973 was observed byElizabeth Roemer of theU.S. Naval Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona at a magnitude of 17.5. Although not found in 1986 it was rediscovered in 1999 with a magnitude of around 12. The 2013 return was moderately favourable with magnitude again around 12.
The nucleus of the comet has a radius of 2.9 km (1.8 mi), assuming ageometric albedo of 0.04.[7]
| Numbered comets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 62P/Tsuchinshan | 63P/Wild | Next 64P/Swift–Gehrels |
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