46P/Wirtanen is a short-periodic comet with a current orbital period of 5.4 years. It was the original target for close investigation by the Rosetta spacecraft, planned by the European Space Agency. It belongs to the Jupiter family of comets, all of which have aphelia between 5 and 6 AU.

Comet Parameters

Discovery

46P/Wirtanen was discovered photographically on January 17, 1948, by Carl A. Wirtanen. The plate was exposed January 15, during a stellar proper motion survey for the Lick Observatory. Due to a limit number of initial observations, it took more than a year to recognize this object as a short-periodic comet.

External links

• IAU Ephemerides page for 46P