56P/Slaughter–Burnham
Periodic comet with 11 year orbit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
56P/Slaughter–Burnham is a periodic comet in the Solar System with a period of 11.54 years.[5] It is the second of two comets co-discovered by Robert Burnham Jr. and Charles D. Slaughter.
Robert Burnham
1993 X
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Charles D. Slaughter Robert Burnham |
| Discovery date | January 27, 1959 |
| Designations | |
| 1958 VI; 1970 V; 1981 XVIII; 1993 X | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
| Aphelion | 7.679 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.535 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 5.107 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.5036 |
| Orbital period | 11.54 a |
| Inclination | 8.1558° |
| Last perihelion | July 18, 2016[1] January 14, 2005 |
| Next perihelion | 2027-Dec-19[2][3] |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.02 AU (3,000,000 km)[4] |
Observational history
It was discovered in 1959 by Charles D. Slaughter and Robert Burnham of the Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona during a photographic survey. They spotted the comet, with a faint brightness of magnitude 16, on a plate exposed on 10 December 1958. By monitoring its movement over a series of consecutive days, Elizabeth Roemer was able to calculate its orbit, suggesting a perihelion date of 4 August 1958 and an orbital period of 11.18 years.
It was subsequently observed in 1970, 1981, 1993, 2005 and 2016. Its next perihelion will be on December 19, 2027.[6]
