119P/Parker–Hartley

Jupiter-family comet August 2026 119P/Parker–Hartley 119P 2022-12-22 image ZTF-sso-567-zr-size-5.6arcmin.png Comet Parker–Hartley imaged from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 22 December 2022 IAUC_4749 Quentin A. ParkerMalcolm Hartley Siding Spring Observatory 2 March 1989 P/1986 TFIAUC_4752 P/1989 E1, P/1995 M2 1987 XXXVI, 1989i jpldata MPC 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) 37.60 years 29 September 1986 3,334 2.332 AU 5.288 AU 3.810 AU 0.38797 7.437 years 7.393° 104.54° 322.29° 158.57° 2.940 2.037 AU 0.209 AU jpldata 1.83 km miTancredi_2006 510 80 kg/m3Paradowski_2022 9.6 13.9 11 August 2022 20 November 2030Horizons2030 119P/Parker–Hartley is a Jupiter-family comet with a 7.44-year orbit around the Sun. It is co-discovered by two astronomers, Quentin A. Parker and Malcolm Hartley.This is Quentin Parker's only comet discovery, and also one of ten comets discovered and co-discovered by Malcolm Hartley Observational history Robert H. McNaught reported the discovery of a comet on a photographic plate taken by Quentin A. Parker and Malcolm Hartley using the Siding Spring Observatory's 1.2-m UK Schmidt Telescope on 2 March 1989.IAUC_4749 At the time of discovery, the comet was a diffuse 16th-magnitude object within the constellation Aries.Reported initial position upon discovery was: α 10 43.3, δ 0 45Kronk_2017 Additional observations, including a precovery image from 11 February 1989 that showed a diffuse trail, allowed astronomers to determine that Parker–Hartley is a periodic comet that has reached perihelion nearly two years prior.IAUC_4750 Further investigation revealed that the comet was actually discovered as early as 1986, when it was initially identified as an asteroid called 1986 TF,IAUC_4752 where it was first spotted by Poul B. Jensen and Antonin Mrkos from August to October 1986.Kronk_2017 Jensen reported that on his reanalysis of the 1986 plates he took from the Brorfelde Observatory, it was a slightly diffuse object relative to other minor planets, albeit without central condensation.IAUC_4754 While initially contradicted by the observations made by Antonin Mrkos at the Klet' Observatory where there's no reported activity, reanalysis of the observatory's 1986 photographic plates in 2000 later revealed that the comet did show some weak activity at the time.Ticha_2000 The comet was recovered on every subsequent apparition since; on 1996, 2005, 2014 and 2022, respectively.Yoshida It is expected to return by 2030.Horizons2030 Physical characteristics Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005 revealed that the nucleus of Comet Parker–Hartley is about 3.66 km mi in diameter.Tancredi_2006 Orbit 2025, Comet Parker–Hartley is in a heliocentric orbit that takes about 7.437 years to complete, with a perihelion distance about 2.33 AU e6km e6mi unit from the Sun, inclined about 7.4 degrees to the ecliptic.MPC Its orbit also allowed Shuichi Nakano to classify the comet as a quasi-Hilda object.IAUC_4752 This comet makes several close approaches to Jupiter between 1984 and 2161.jpldata Prior to its discovery, Parker–Hartley flew past Jupiter at a distance of 0.15 AU e6km e6mi unit in May 1984.IAUC_4750 Around 16 March 2161, the comet will pass about 0.019 AU e6km e6mi unit from the giant planet.jpldata Notes References Horizons Batch for 119P/Parker-Hartley on 2030-Jan-20 JPL Horizons Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27119P%27&START_TIME=%272030-Jan-20%27&STOP_TIME=%272030-Jan-21%27&STEP_SIZE=%273%20hours%27&QUANTITIES=%2719%27 2023-04-29 (JPL#103/Soln.date: 2023-Apr-21) R. H. McNaught Q. A. Parker M. Hartley etal D. W. Green Comet Parker–Hartley (1989i) http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/04700/04749.html IAU Circular 1989-03-04 4749 1 1989IAUC.4749....1M Q. A. Parker S. Hughes K. S. Russell etal Periodic Comet Parker–Hartley (1989i) http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/04700/04750.html IAU Circular 1989-03-06 4750 1 1989IAUC.4750....1P S. Nakano A. Mrkos P. B. Jensen D. W. Green Periodic Comet Parker–Hartley (1989i 1987 XXXVI) 1986 TF http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/04700/04752.html IAU Circular 1989-03-07 4752 1 1989IAUC.4752....1N P. B. Jensen D. W. Green Periodic Comet Parker–Hartley (1987 XXXVI) http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/04700/04754.html IAU Circular 1989-03-09 4754 1 1989IAUC.4752....1N 119P/Parker–Hartley – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=119P ssd.jpl.nasa.gov Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2014-06-17 G. W. Kronk M. Meyer D. A. J. Seargent Cometography: A Catalog of Comets 6: 1983–1994 2017 Cambridge University Press Cambridge 978-0-521-87216-4 418–421 119P/Parker–Hartley Orbit http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=119P Minor Planet Center 2014-06-17 M. L. Paradowski A New Indirect Method of Determining Density of Cometary Nuclei https://acta.astrouw.edu.pl/Vol72/n2/pdf/pap_72_2_4.pdf Acta Astronomica 2022 72 2 141–159 2022AcA....72..141P 0001-5237 10.32023/0001-5237/72.2.4 free G. Tancredi J. A. Fernández H. Rickman J. Licandro Nuclear magnitudes and the size distribution of Jupiter family comets Icarus 2006 182 2 527–549 2006Icar..182..527T 10.1016/j.icarus.2006.01.007 J. Ticha M. Tichy Z. Moravec On the activity of comet 119P/Parker-Hartley in 1986 Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso 2000 30 2 2000CoSka..30...71T S. Yoshida 119P/Parker–Hartley http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0119P/index.html www.aerith.net 2026-08-01 External links 1000120 119P 119P/Parker–Hartley at the Minor Planet Center database 119P/Parker–Hartley at Gary W. Kronk's Cometography 118P/Shoemaker–Levy 120P/Mueller Category:Periodic comets 0119 Category:Discoveries by Malcolm Hartley 119P 119P * *