37P/Forbes
Jupiter-family comet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
37P/Forbes is a periodic comet in the Solar System. The orbit of this comet passes close to the planet Jupiter however it orbit changes frequently. It was discovered on August 1, 1929, by Alexander F. I. Forbes in South Africa.[5] The comet nucleus is estimated to be 1.62 km (1.01 mi) in diameter.[4]
Infrared image of Comet Forbes taken by the NEOWISE spacecraft on 27 May 2018 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Alexander F. I. Forbes |
| Discovery site | Rosebank, South Africa |
| Discovery date | 1 August 1929 |
| Designations | |
| P/1929 P1, P/1942 L1 | |
| |
| Orbital characteristics[1][2] | |
| Epoch | 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) |
| Observation arc | 96.28 years |
| Number of observations | 2,487 |
| Aphelion | 5.305 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.618 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.462 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.53255 |
| Orbital period | 6.44 years |
| Inclination | 8.948° |
| 314.55° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 330.07° |
| Mean anomaly | 62.099° |
| Last perihelion | 11 October 2024 |
| Next perihelion | 19 March 2031[3] |
| TJupiter | 2.866 |
| Earth MOID | 0.602 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.228 AU |
| Physical characteristics[1] | |
Mean radius | 0.81 km (0.50 mi)[4] |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 9.6 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 15.4 |
A close approach to Jupiter in the year 2001 has changes its perihelion to 1.57 AU. Despite the small change, the comet brightness went down by a magnitude of 2.[6]
