81P/Wild
Comet 81P/Wild, also known as Wild 2, is a comet named after Swiss astronomer Paul Wild (pronounced Vilt), who discovered it in 1978.
 Enhanced image from the Stardust spacecraft | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Paul Wild |
| Discovery date: | 1978 |
| Alternative designations: | 1978 XI; 1984 XIV; 1990 XXVIII |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch: | March 6, 2006 |
| Aphelion: | 5.308 AU |
| Perihelion: | 1.592 AU |
| Semi-major axis: | 3.45 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.5384 |
| Orbital period: | 6.408 a |
| Inclination: | 3.2394° |
| Last perihelion: | September 25, 2003 |
| Next perihelion: | 2010 |
It is believed that for most of its 4.5 billion-year lifetime, Wild 2 had a more distant and circular orbit. In 1974, it passed within only about one million kilometers of the planet Jupiter, whose strong gravitational pull altered the comet's orbit and brought it into the inner solar system. Its orbital period changed from 40 years to about 6 years, and its perihelion is now about 1.59 AU (astronomical unit).
Gallery
Photograph taken by Stardust spacecraft
Details of the plume jets
Red/green stereo anaglyph
Stardust Approach Image
81P/Wild Media
Core of comet 81P/Wild. Several large depressed regions can be seen. Comet Wild 2 is about five kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter. Taken by Stardust on January 2, 2004.
Comet 81P/Wild imaged with Takahashi Epsilon 180 reflector and SBIG ST-2000 CCD camera* * sum of 12 frames each of 90 seconds * logarithmic scale
Animation of Stardust 's trajectory from 7 February 1999 to 7 April 2011 Stardust · 81P/Wild · Earth · 5535 Annefrank · Tempel 1
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Photograph taken by Stardust spacecraft
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Stardust approach image
- Cometwild
Other websites
- NASA Team Analyzes Stardust Particle Capture Archived 2008-03-09 at the Wayback Machine January 18, 2006
- NASA/JPL homepage for Stardust project
- Stardust@Home Volunteer Particle Analysis Project Archived 2006-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
- IAU Ephemerides page for 81P
- Catalogue of all 72 raw images of Wild 2 Archived 2006-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
