162P/Siding Spring

Jupiter-family comet other comets of the same name Comet Siding Spring (disambiguation)Comet Siding Spring July 2025 162P/Siding Spring P2004TU12 20041112 J87.jpg The comet on 12 November 2004, displaying a narrow tail IAUC_8436 Siding Spring Observatory 10 October 2004 P/2004 TU 12 Siding Spring 2nasa-pds jpldata MPC 5 May 2025 (JD 2460800.5) 36.48 yearsobs_arc 23 March 1990 3,317 1.289 AU 4.894 AU 3.092 AU 0.58295 5.33 years 27.554° 30.878° 357.24° 291.51° 2.792 0.239 AU 0.587 AU 14.06 0.96 kmFernández_2013 (V–R) 0.45 0.01Knight_2024 0.022 0.003Donaldson_2023 32.864 0.001 hoursDonaldson_2023 15.2 17 May 2026 14 October 2031Chesley_2005 162P/Siding Spring is a Jupiter-family comet with an orbital period of 5.3 years. It was discovered in images obtained on 10 October 2004 as part of the Siding Spring Survey.IAUC_8436 Observational history The comet was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey as an asteroidal object shining with an apparent magnitude of 14.1 but a tail extending for about 4 arcminutes was observed on 12 November 2004, indicating that it is a comet.IAUC_8436 The tail grew longer the next days, reaching a length of over 10 arcminutes on 15 November. Two days later the tail was fainter, and barely visible within one arcminute from the nucleus.IAUC_8439 On 21 October 2031, the comet will approach Earth at a distance of 0.2456 AU e6km unit.jpldata Physical characteristics The comet was observed by NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in 2004, finding that the nucleus has an effective radius of 6.0 0.8 km, which corresponds to a visual albedo of 0.034 0.014,Fernández_2006 and a reflectance spectrum typical of a D-type asteroid.Campins_2006 Further observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope indicate an effective radius of 7.03 ± 0.48 km.Fernández_2013 This is one of the largest nuclei of Jupiter family comets with known radius.Fernández_2006 More detailed observations indicate that the nucleus has axis ratios a/b = 1.56 and b/c = 2.33, and could possibly have two lobes.Donaldson_2023 The sidereal period of the comet is 32.864 0.001 hours.Donaldson_2023 See also 107P/Wilson-Harrington and 133P/Elst-Pizarro - comets with similar intermittent activity Notes "obs_arc" Observation arc from the Minor Planet Center database covering dates from 23 March 1990 until 14 September 2026. References H. Campins J. Ziffer J. Licandro N. Pinilla-Alonso Y. R. Fernández J. de León T. Mothé-Diniz R. P. Binzel 4 Nuclear Spectra of Comet 162P/Siding Spring (2004 TU 12) The Astronomical Journal 2006 132 3 1346–1353 2006AJ....132.1346C 10.1086/506253 S. R. Chesley M. S. Keesey Comet Apparitions: 2005–2040 https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/doc/comet_app.pdf Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2005-12-20 2026-09-27 A. Donaldson R. Kokotanekova A. Rożek C. Snodgrass D. Gardener S. F. Green N. Masoumzadeh J. Robinson 4 Characterizing the nucleus of comet 162P/Siding Spring using ground-based photometry Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2023 521 1 2302.12141 1518–1531 10.1093/mnras/stad616 free Y. R. Fernández H. Campins M. Kassis C. W. Hergenrother R. P. Binzel J. Licandro J. L. Hora J. D. Adams 4 Comet 162P/Siding Spring: A Surprisingly Large Nucleus The Astronomical Journal 2006 132 3 1354–1360 2006AJ....132.1354F astro-ph/0608387 10.1086/506252 free Y. R. Fernández M. S. P. Kelley P. L. Lamy I. Toth O. Groussin C. M. Lisse M. F. A’Hearn J. M. Bauer H. Campins A. Fitzsimmons J. Licandro S. C. Lowry K. J. Meech J. Pittichová W. T. Reach C. Snodgrass H. A. Weaver 5 Thermal properties, sizes, and size distribution of Jupiter-family cometary nuclei Icarus 2013 226 1 1138–1170 2013Icar..226.1138F 1307.6191 10.1016/j.icarus.2013.07.021 F. Mallia G. Masi R. Wilcox J. Lacruz D. W. Green Comet P/2004 TU 12 (Siding Spring) http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/08400/08436.html IAU Circular 2004-11-01 8436 1 2004IAUC.8436....1M 0081-0304 G. Masi D. W. Green Comet P/2004 TU 12 (Siding Spring) http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/08400/08439.html IAU Circular 2004-11-01 8439 1 2004IAUC.8439....1M 0081-0304 162P/Siding Spring – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=162P ssd.jpl.nasa.gov Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2023-07-20 M. M. Knight R. Kokotanekova N. H. Samarasinha K. J. Meech Comets III Physical and Surface Properties of Comet Nuclei from Remote Observations https://books.google.com/books?id=_dGz0AEACAAJ&pg=PA361 University of Arizona Press 2024 361–404 2304.09309 jj.21819446.18 162P/Siding Spring Orbit http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=162P Minor Planet Center 2025-07-25 Periodic Comet Names and Designations https://pds-smallbodies.astro.umd.edu/data_sb/resources/periodic_comets.shtml Planetary Data System: Small Body Node NASA 2026-09-25 External links 1000525 162P 162P/Siding Spring at the Minor Planet Center database 162P/Siding Spring at Seiichi Yoshida's website 162P/Siding Spring at Gideon van Buitenen's website Cometary activity found on asteroidal object 2004 TU 12 - La Cañada Observatory report 161P/Hartley–IRAS 163P/NEAT Category:Periodic comets 0162 Category:Near-Earth comets 0162 Category:Discoveries by SSS * 0162 0162 0162