Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by |
Malcolm Hartley IRAS |
Discovery date | November 4, 1983 |
Designations | |
1984 III; 2004 V2 | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
Aphelion | 14.19 AU |
Perihelion | 1.275 AU |
Semi-major axis | 7.734 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.8351 |
Orbital period | 21.51 yr |
Inclination | 95.6899° |
Last perihelion | June 20, 2005 |
Next perihelion | 2026 Oct. 29
[1] 2026 Nov. 27 [2] [3] [4] 2026 December 18 [5] |
161P/Hartley–IRAS is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 21 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with (20 years < period < 200 years). [6]
This was one of six comets discovered by the infrared space telescope IRAS, in 1983. [7] [8]