15P/Finlay

Comet Finlay is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 6 years discovered by William Henry Finlay (Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa) on September 26, 1886. The next perihelion passage is July 13, 2021 when the comet will have a solar elongation of 54 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude 10. It last came to perihelion on December 27, 2014, at around magnitude 10. Of the numbered periodic comets, the orbit of 15P/Finlay has one of the smallest minimum orbit intersection distances with the orbit of Earth (E-MOID). In October 2060 the comet will pass about 5 million km from Earth.

15P/Finlay
Discovery
Discovered byWilliam Henry Finlay
Discovery dateSeptember 26, 1886
Designations
Alternative designations
1886 S1; 1886 VII;
1886e; 1893 K1;
1893 III; 1893a;
1906 V; 1906d;
1919 II; 1919d;
1926 V; 1926d;
1953 VII; 1953i;
1960 VIII; 1960d;
1967 IX; 1967g;
1974 X; 1974d;
1981 XII; 1981e;
1988 IX; 1988f
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2014-Dec-09
(JD 2457000.5)
Aphelion6.019 AU
Perihelion0.976 AU
Semi-major axis3.488 AU
Eccentricity0.7202
Orbital period6.51 a
Inclination6.799°
Last perihelionJuly 13, 2021
December 27, 2014
June 22, 2008
Next perihelion2028-Feb-09
2034-Sep-08
2041-Apr-03
2047-Oct-25
2054-May-02
2060-Oct-03
Earth MOID0.009 AU (1.3 million km)
Jupiter MOID0.16 AU (24 million km)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions1.8 km (uncertain)
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