26P/Grigg-Skjellerup

Discovery

Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup, a periodic comet in our solar system, was independently discovered by two astronomers: John Grigg, an Australian amateur astronomer, in 1902, and Skjellerup, an observer from South Africa, in 1922. The comet received its name in honor of both its discoverers, marking their contributions to identifying this celestial body.

Orbit

Its orbital characteristics reveal a relatively short orbit, taking it from an area beyond the orbit of Jupiter at its farthest point to a path just inside Earth's orbit at its closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion. The periodic nature of its orbit leads to periodic close approaches to Earth, providing opportunities for observation and study.

Physical Characteristics

Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is estimated to have a nucleus several kilometers in diameter. Composed mainly of ice, dust, rock, and organic compounds, the comet undergoes sublimation when it approaches the Sun. This process releases gas and dust, forming the characteristic coma (a glowing cloud around the nucleus) and tails that distinguish comets when they are observed from Earth.

Satellite

In 1992, the comet made a relatively close approach to Earth, prompting scientific interest and observations from ground-based telescopes and space missions. Notably, the Giotto spacecraft, initially designed to study Halley's Comet during its 1986 encounter, was redirected to intercept Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. The encounter provided a unique opportunity for close-up observations, capturing images and conducting compositional analysis.