118P/Shoemaker–Levy
< 118P
118P when 2AU from the Sun | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Carolyn S. Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker David H. Levy |
| Discovery date | February 9, 1991 |
| Designations | |
| 118P/1991 C2; 1990 XII; 1991f; 118P/1995 M1 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | May 1, 2009 (JD 2454952.5) |
| Aphelion | 4.943 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.984 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.463 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.4272 |
| Orbital period | 6.45 yr |
| Inclination | 8.509° |
| Last perihelion | 2022-Nov-24 June 16, 2016 January 2, 2010 |
| Next perihelion | 2029-01-11 |
118P/Shoemaker–Levy (also known as periodic comet Shoemaker–Levy 4) is a comet discovered by astronomers Carolyn and Eugene M. Shoemaker and David Levy.
During the 2010 apparition the comet became as bright as apparent magnitude 11.5.
The comet nucleus is estimated to be 4.8 kilometers in diameter.
On December 3, 2015, comet Shoemaker–Levy 4 will pass 0.0442 AU (6,610,000 km; 4,110,000 mi) from asteroid 4 Vesta.
This comet should not be confused with Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (D/1993 F2) which spectacularly crashed into Jupiter in 1994.