![]() Comet Pons–Winnecke as seen in 2021 by
ZTF | |
Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by |
Jean Louis Pons & Friedrich Winnecke |
Discovery date | June 12, 1819 & March 9, 1858 |
Designations | |
1858 E1, 1858 II, 1819 III, 1927c, 1933b, 1939c, 1945a, 1951c, 1964b, 1970b, 1976f, 1983b, 1989g | |
Orbital characteristics | |
Epoch | 2023-02-25 [1] |
Aphelion | 5.59 AU |
Perihelion | 1.233 AU |
Semi-major axis | 3.41 AU |
Eccentricity | 0.6385 |
Orbital period | 6.30 yrs |
Inclination | 22.373° |
Last perihelion | May 27, 2021
[1] January 30, 2015 [2] September 26, 2008 |
Next perihelion | 2027-Aug-25 [3] [4] |
Earth MOID | 0.24 AU (36 million km) |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 5.2 km [5] |
Perihelion distance at different epochs [4] | |||||||
Epoch |
Perihelion ( AU) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1819 | 0.77 | ||||||
1875 | 0.83 | ||||||
1886 | 0.89 | ||||||
1898 | 0.92 | ||||||
1909 | 0.97 | ||||||
1921 | 1.04 | ||||||
1933 | 1.10 | ||||||
1989 | 1.26 | ||||||
2027 | 1.13 | ||||||
2039 | 0.982 | ||||||
2062 | 0.847 |
7P/Pons–Winnecke (also known as Comet Pons–Winnecke) is a periodic Jupiter-family comet with a six-year orbit. Early calculations for the 1921 apparition suggested that the orbit of the comet might collide with Earth in June, but observations on 10 April ruled out an impact. [6] It made a very close approach to Earth in June 1927. [7] The outward migration of perihelion created impressive meteor showers in 1916, 1921 and 1927. [8]
The next perihelion passage is 25 August 2027 [3] when the comet will have a solar elongation of 63 degrees. The last perihelion passage was 27 May 2021 when the comet had a solar elongation of 107 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude 11. [2] It passed 0.44 AU (66 million km) from Earth on 12 June 2021. Before that it came to perihelion on 30 January 2015 [2] with a solar elongation of 24 degrees. [9]
Jean Louis Pons ( Marseille) originally discovered the comet on 12 June 1819, it was later rediscovered by Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke ( Bonn) on 9 March 1858. It is the parent body of the June Bootids of late June.
7P has an orbital period of 6.3 years. It currently has a perihelion of 1.2 AU (outside the orbit of Earth) and an aphelion of 5.6 AU (past the orbit of Jupiter). It passed within 0.04 AU (6.0 million km; 16 LD) of Earth in June 1927, and 0.1 AU (15 million km) in 1939; [5] but it will not come as close in the 21st century. A close approach to Jupiter in July 2037 [5] will drop perihelion to 0.982 AU, and by 2062 perihelion will be further reduced to 0.85 AU. [4]
Date & time of closest approach |
Earth distance ( AU) |
Sun distance (AU) |
Velocity wrt Earth (km/s) |
Velocity wrt Sun (km/s) |
Uncertainty region ( 3-sigma) |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2062-Jun-12 18:25 ± 10 min | 0.1676 AU (25.07 million km; 15.58 million mi; 65.2 LD) | 0.8499 AU (127.14 million km; 79.00 million mi; 330.8 LD) | 16.3 | 42.5 | ± 312 km | Horizons |
The comet nucleus is estimated at 5.2 km in diameter. [5]
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a flyby of the comet with a flight spare of Mariner 4 with the closest approach taking place in 1969. [10] The probe was instead used for a Venus flyby as Mariner 5. [10]