Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by |
Carolyn S. Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker Henry E. Holt |
Discovery date | October 18, 1987 |
Designations | |
1988 VII; 1996 S2 | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
Aphelion | 5.952 AU |
Perihelion | 3.068 AU |
Semi-major axis | 4.51 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.3197 |
Orbital period | 9.579 a |
Inclination | 4.3555° |
Last perihelion | May 6, 2017? (A)
[1] January 10, 2017 [2] [3] [4] June 13, 2007 |
Next perihelion | 2026-Jul-17 2026-Jul-17 (B) [5] 2027-Jan-10? (A) |
Jupiter MOID | 0.153 AU (22,900,000 km) |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 4.6 km (B) [6] |
128P/Shoemaker–Holt, also known as Shoemaker-Holt 1, is a periodic comet in the Solar System. The comet passed close to Jupiter in 1982 and was discovered in 1987. The comet was last observed in March 2018. [3]
The nucleus was split into two pieces (A+B) during the 1997 apparition. [7] Fragment A was last observed in 1996 and only has a 79-day observation arc. [1] Fragment B is estimated to be 4.6 km in diameter. [6]