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Grigg–Skjellerup, Comet 26P/

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | 700+ words | Copyright

Grigg–Skjellerup, Comet 26P/ A periodic comet discovered by the New Zealand amateur astronomer John Grigg (1838–1920) in 1902, and independently by the Australian amateur John Francis ( ‘Frank’) Skjellerup (1875–1952) in 1922. Its orbit is perturbed by Jupiter, which has led to an increase in its perihelion distance from 0.75 AU in 1902 to 1.1 now. Its orbital period is 5.3 years. Grigg–Skjellerup was visited by the Giotto space probe in 1992. The comet was found to have a much lower dust production than expected, and a gas production only about 1 % of that of Halley's Comet at its 1986 perihelion. Debris from Comet Grigg–Skjellerup produces the periodic Pi Puppid meteor shower, seen around April23 but only when the comet is close to perihelion. The comet's orbit has an eccentricity of 0.63 and inclination 22 °.4.

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