81P/Wild
Comet 81P/Wild, also known as Wild 2, is a comet named after Swiss astronomer Paul Wild (pronounced Vilt), who discovered it in 1978.
 Enhanced image from the Stardust spacecraft | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Paul Wild |
| Discovery date | 1978 |
| Alternative designations | 1978 XI; 1984 XIV; 1990 XXVIII |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch | March 6, 2006 |
| Aphelion | 5.308 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.592 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.45 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.5384 |
| Orbital period | 6.408 a |
| Inclination | 3.2394° |
| Last perihelion | September 25, 2003 |
| Next perihelion | 2010 |
It is believed that for most of its 4.5 billion-year lifetime, Wild 2 had a more distant and circular orbit. In 1974, it passed within only about one million kilometers of the planet Jupiter, whose strong gravitational pull altered the comet's orbit and brought it into the inner solar system. Its orbital period changed from 40 years to about 6 years, and its perihelion is now about 1.59 AU (astronomical unit).
Gallery
- Photograph taken by Stardust spacecraft
Details of the plume jets
Red/green stereo anaglyph
Stardust Approach Image
Other websites
- NASA Team Analyzes Stardust Particle Capture January 18, 2006
- NASA/JPL homepage for Stardust project
- Stardust@Home Volunteer Particle Analysis Project
- IAU Ephemerides page for 81P
- Catalogue of all 72 raw images of Wild 2 Archived 2006-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
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