7P/Pons-Winnecke

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7P/Pons-Winnecke
Discovery
Discovered by: Jean Louis Pons &
Friedrich Winnecke
Discovery date: June 12, 1819 &
March 9, 1858
Alternate designations: 1858 E1, 1858 II, 1819 III,
1927c, 1933b, 1939c,
1945a, 1951c, 1964b,
1970b, 1976f, 1983b,
1989g
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch: May 6, 2002
Aphelion distance: 5.611 AU
Perihelion distance: 1.257 AU
Semi-major axis: 3.434 AU
Eccentricity: 0.634
Orbital period: 6.37 a
Inclination: 22.28°
Last perihelion: May 15, 2002
Next perihelion: September 26, 2008

7P/Pons-Winnecke is a periodic comet in our solar system.

Jean Louis Pons (Marseille) originally discovered the comet on June 12, 1819, it was later rediscovered by Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke (Bonn) on March 9, 1858. It is believed to be the parent body of the June Bootids of late June. The nucleus has been estimated to be 2.6 km long.

7P has an orbital period of 6.37 years. It has a perihelion of 1.3 AU and an aphelion of 5.6 AU (past the orbit of Jupiter). It passed within 6 Gm (0.04 AU) of Earth in June 1927, and 16 Gm (0.1 AU) in 1939; but it will not come as close in the 21st century.

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