63P/Wild

63P/Wild
63P/Wild with JWST NIRCam at 4.3 μm, observed on 7 March 2026
Discovery[1]
Discovered byPaul Wild
Discovery siteZimmerwald Observatory, Switzerland
Discovery date26 March 1960
Designations
P/1960 G1
P/1973 A2
Wild 1
1960b, 1973c
1960 I, 1973 VIII[2]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch2025-11-21 (JD 2461000.5)
Observation arc66 years
Number of
observations		2,519
Aphelion9.34 AU
Perihelion1.9746 AU
Semi-major axis5.657 AU
Eccentricity0.65096
Orbital period13.45 years
Inclination19.616°
357.77°
Argument of
periapsis		168.74°
Last perihelion6 July 2026
Next perihelion14 December 2039[4]
TJupiter2.411
Earth MOID0.961 AU
Jupiter MOID1.308 AU
Physical characteristics[5][6]
Dimensions2.9 km (1.8 mi)
0.04
(V–R) = 0.50±0.05
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		7.3
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		14.3
15
(2026-05-19)[7]

63P/Wild is a periodic comet roughly 3 km in diameter with a 13.5-year orbit around the Sun. The comet reached perihelion on 6 July 2026.[8]

Observational history

Comet 63P/Wild taken from the Palomar Transient Factory on 4 April 2013

It was first detected by Paul Wild at the Zimmerwald Observatory of the Astronomical Institute of Bern, Switzerland on a photographic plate exposed on 26 March 1960, who estimated its brightness at a magnitude of 14.3. Its elliptical orbit was then calculated to have an orbital period of 13.17 years.[9]

Its predicted reappearance in 1973 was observed by Elizabeth Roemer of the U.S. Naval Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona at a magnitude of 17.5. Although not found in 1986 it was rediscovered in 1999 with a magnitude of around 12. The 2013 return was moderately favourable with magnitude again around 12.

The nucleus of the comet has a radius of 2.9 km (1.8 mi), assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ J. M. Vinter Hansen (8 April 1960). "Comet Wild (1960b)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 1719.
  2. ↑ "Comet Names and Designations". International Comet Quarterly. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  3. ↑ MPC
  4. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 63P/Wild 1 (90000675) on 2039-Dec-14" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 2026-04-15. (JPL#48, Soln.date: 2026-Apr-14)
  5. ↑ "63P/Wild – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  6. ↑ M. M. Knight; R. Kokotanekova; N. H. Samarasinha (2023). "Physical and Surface Properties of Comet Nuclei from Remote Observations". arXiv:2304.09309 [astro-ph.EP].
  7. ↑ "COBS Observation list: 63P". Crni Vrh Observatory. Retrieved 2026-05-30. Comet 63P/Wild Lightcurve
  8. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 63P/Wild 1 (90000674) on 2026-Jul-06" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Archived from the original on 2025-09-29. Retrieved 2025-09-29. (JPL#31, Soln.date: 2014-Feb-19)
  9. ↑ G. W. Kronk. "63P/Wild 1". Cometography.com. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  10. ↑ P. L. Lamy; I. Toth; H. A. Weaver; M. F. A'Hearn; L. Jorda (2009). "Properties of the nuclei and comae of 13 ecliptic comets from Hubble Space Telescope snapshot observations" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics. 508 (2): 1045–1056. Bibcode:2009A&A...508.1045L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200811462. S2CID 125249770.
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