| 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: | 5.611 AU |
| Perihelion: | 1.257 AU |
| Semi-major axis: | 3.434 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.634 |
| Orbital period: | 6.37 a |
| Inclination: | 22.28° |
| Last perihelion: | September 26, 2008 |
| Next perihelion: | January 30, 2015 |
7P/Pons–Winnecke (also known as Comet 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.
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.
The comet nucleus is estimated at about 5.2 km in diameter.[1]
| Periodic comets (by number) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 6P/d'Arrest |
7P/Pons–Winnecke | Next 8P/Tuttle |