Tempel 1
Composite of images of nucleus obtained by the Deep Impact impactor | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Wilhelm Tempel |
| Discovery date | 3 April 1867 |
| Designations | |
| |
| |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5) |
| Aphelion | 4.757 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.545 AU (1.77 AU after 2024 Jupiter approach) |
| Semi-major axis | 3.151 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.5097 |
| Orbital period | 5.59 years |
| Inclination | 10.474° |
| 68.64° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 179.54° |
| Last perihelion | 4 March 2022 2 August 2016 |
| Next perihelion | 12 February 2028 |
| Earth MOID | 0.52 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.6 km × 4.9 km (4.7 mi × 3.0 mi) |
| Mass | 7.2×1013 to 7.9×1013 kg |
Mean density | 0.62 g/cm3 |
| 40.7 hours | |
Tempel 1 (official designation: 9P/Tempel) is a periodic Jupiter-family comet discovered by Wilhelm Tempel in 1867. It completes an orbit of the Sun every 5.6 years. Tempel 1 was the target of the Deep Impact space mission, which photographed a deliberate high-speed impact upon the comet in 2005. It was re-visited by the Stardust spacecraft on 14 February 2011, and came back to perihelion in August 2016. On 26 May 2024, it made a modest approach to Jupiter at a distance of 0.55 AU (82 million km) which will lift the perihelion distance and 9P will next come to perihelion on 12 February 2028 when it will be 1.77 AU (265 million km) from the Sun.