Comet
55P/Tempel-Tuttle
A retrograde comet returning every 33 years; the source of the mid-November Leonid meteor shower. The famous Leonid storms of 1833 and 1966 came from dense debris trails like those left after its last perihelion (1998). Next perihelion 2031.
| Type | Comet |
|---|---|
| Parent body | Sun |
| Radius | 2 km · 2.83 × 10⁻⁴ R⊕ |
| Mass | 1.200 × 10¹³ kg · 2.01 × 10⁻¹² M⊕ |
| Mean density | 0.491 g/cm³ |
| Rotation period | 15.3 hours |
| Orbital radius | 10.3 AU (Sun) |
| Eccentricity | 0.906 |
| Orbital period | 33.2 years |
| Discovery | 1865–66, Tempel & Tuttle |
| Period | 33.2 years |
| Meteor shower | Leonids (17–18 November) |