A

David

Darling

Swift-Tuttle, Comet 109P/

Comet Swift-Tuttle

Comet Swift-Tuttle is a short-period comet and the parent body of the Perseids meteor shower. It was discovered on 16 July 1862, by Lewis Swift (from Marathon, New York), and, independently, on 19 July 1862, by Horace Parnell Tuttle (from Harvard University); however, it is now known to be the same as Comet Kegler of 1737 and appearances have been identified as far back as 69 BC. Last seen in 1992, Swift-Tuttle will be in our vicinity again in 2126.

 

eccentricity 0.964
inclination 113.4°
period 130 years