10P/Tempel

Jupiter-family comet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a large Jupiter-family comet roughly 10 km in diameter with a 5.36 year orbit around the Sun. It was discovered on 4 July 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel.[12]

DiscoveredbyWilhelm Tempel
Discoverydate4 July 1873
P/1873 N1, P/1878 O1
  • Tempel 2
  • 1873 II, 1878 III, 1894 III
  • 1899 IV, 1904 III, 1915 I
  • 1920 II, 1925 IV, 1930 VII
  • 1946 III, 1951 VIII, 1957 II
  • 1962 VI, 1967 X, 1972 X
  • 1978 V, 1983 X, 1988 XIV
  • 1994 VII
Quick facts Discovery, Discovered by ...
10P/Tempel
Comet Tempel 2 photographed by H. M. Jeffers from the Lick Observatory in 1946[1]
Discovery
Discovered byWilhelm Tempel
Discovery date4 July 1873
Designations
P/1873 N1, P/1878 O1
  • Tempel 2
  • 1873 II, 1878 III, 1894 III
  • 1899 IV, 1904 III, 1915 I
  • 1920 II, 1925 IV, 1930 VII
  • 1946 III, 1951 VIII, 1957 II
  • 1962 VI, 1967 X, 1972 X
  • 1978 V, 1983 X, 1988 XIV
  • 1994 VII
Orbital characteristics[2][3]
Epoch21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
Observation arc130.8 years
Number of
observations		5,900
Aphelion4.71 AU
Perihelion1.418 AU
Semi-major axis3.064 AU
Eccentricity0.53738
Orbital period5.36 years
Inclination12.027°
117.80°
Argument of
periapsis		195.48°
Mean anomaly313.31°
Last perihelion24 March 2021
Next perihelion2 August 2026[4][5]
TJupiter2.965
Earth MOID0.407 AU (60.9 million km)
Jupiter MOID0.620 AU (92.8 million km)
Physical characteristics[2]
Mean diameter
10.6 km (6.6 mi)[6]
8.948±0.001 hours[7]
0.022[8]
  • (V–R) = 0.561±0.04[9]
  • (B–V) = 0.80±0.02[10]
  • (R–I) = 0.52±0.03[10]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		14.6
17
(2026-04-06)[11]
Close

By June 2026, the comet should be around apparent magnitude 14.[13] At the perihelion passage on 2 August 2026 the solar elongation will be 164 degrees at a magnitude of approximately 10.[4][13] The closest approach to Earth will be the next day on 3 August 2026 at a distance of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km).[13][a][b] The comet should get into the reach of binoculars.

More information Date & time of closest approach, Earth distance (AU) ...
10P/Tempel closest Earth approach on 2026-Aug-03
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
2026-Aug-03 20:560.414 AU (61.9 million km; 38.5 million mi)1.42 AU (212 million km; 132 million mi)6.531.0± 47 kmHorizons
Close

Physical characteristics

Comet Tempel 2 imaged by George van Biesbroeck from the Yerkes Observatory on 23 July 1925.[14]

The comet nucleus is estimated to be roughly the size of Halley's Comet at 10.6 km (6.6 mi) in diameter with a low albedo of 0.022.[8] The nucleus is dark because hydrocarbons on the surface have been converted to a dark, tar like substance by solar ultraviolet radiation. The nucleus is large enough that even near aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun which is near the orbit of Jupiter) the comet remains brighter than about magnitude 21.

During the 2010 apparition the comet brightened to about apparent magnitude 8.[4] The most favorable apparition of 10P/Tempel 2 was in 1925 when it came within 0.35 AU (52 million km; 33 million mi) of Earth with an apparent magnitude of 6.5.[12][14]

Infrared spectroscopy conducted in July 2010 revealed the presence of CH3OH, C2H6, NH3 and HCN in trace amounts within its coma, with their peak intensities suggesting a possible existence of a distributed source that was released from the nucleus as sublimed icy grains.[15]

Proposed exploration

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a flyby of the comet with a flight spare of Mariner 4.[16] The probe was instead used for a Venus flyby as Mariner 5.[16]

It was the original target of the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) mission before it was switched to 22P/Kopff due to developmental delays,[17] until its eventual cancellation in 1992.[18]

10P/Tempel was to be the target of the NASA part of the International Comet Mission after transporting a European probe to a flyby of Halley's Comet.[19] The plan was to use Solar electric propulsion to get the craft to orbit the comet.[20] The program was cancelled in November 1979.[20]

Notes

  1. [a]
    The 2026 Earth approach of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km) is close to the Earth–Minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.407 AU (60.9 million km).
  2. [b]
    The 1-km in diameter short period comet 11P/Tempel–Swift–LINEAR will pass 0.401 AU (60.0 million km) from Earth on 11 November 2026.

References

External links

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