Centaur (small Solar System body)

Type of Solar System object

This article is about a class of Solar system objects. For other uses, see Centaur (disambiguation).

Positions of known outer Solar System objects as of 2017.
The centaurs orbit generally inwards of the Kuiper belt and outside the Jupiter trojans.  Sun
Jupiter trojans (6,178)
Scattered disc (>300) Neptune trojans (9) |  Giant planets:
* Jupiter (J) * Saturn (S)
* Uranus (U) * Neptune (N)
Centaurs (44,000)
Kuiper belt (>100,000)

|

(scale in AU; epoch as of January 2015; # of objects in parentheses) Types of distant minor planets

* Centaurs
* Neptune trojans
* Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)
* Kuiper belt objects (KBOs)
* Classical KBOs (cubewanos)
* Resonant KBOs
* Plutinos (2:3 resonance)
* Twotinos (1:2 resonance)
* Scattered disc objects (SDOs)
* Resonant SDOs
* Extreme trans-Neptunian object
* Detached objects
* Sednoids
* Oort cloud objects (ICO/OCOs)

* v
* t
* e

In planetary astronomy, a centaur is a small Solar System body that orbits the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune and crosses the orbits of one or more of the giant planets. Centaurs generally have unstable orbits because of this; almost all their orbits have dynamic lifetimes of only a few million years,[1] but there is one known centaur, 514107 Kaʻepaokaʻawela, which may be in a stable (though retrograde) orbit.[2][note 1] Centaurs typically exhibit the characteristics of both asteroids and comets. They are named after the mythological centaurs that were a mixture of horse and human. Observational bias toward large objects makes determination of the total centaur population difficult. Estimates for the number of centaurs in the Solar System more than 1 km in diameter range from as low as 44,000[1] to more than 10,000,000.[4][5]

The first centaur to be discovered, under the definition of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the one used here, was 944 Hidalgo in 1920. However, they were not recognized as a distinct population until the discovery of 2060 Chiron in 1977. The largest confirmed centaur is 10199 Chariklo, which at 250 kilometers in diameter is as big as a mid-sized main-belt asteroid, and is known to have a system of rings. It was discovered in 1997.

No centaur has been photographed up close, although there is evidence that Saturn's moon Phoebe, imaged by the Cassini probe in 2004, may be a captured centaur that originated in the Kuiper belt.[6] In addition, the Hubble Space Telescope has gleaned some information about the surface features of 8405 Asbolus.

Ceres may have originated in the region of the outer planets,[7] and if so might be considered an ex-centaur, but the centaurs seen today all originated elsewhere.

Of the objects known to occupy centaur-like orbits, approximately 30 have been found to display comet-like dust comas, with three, 2060 Chiron, 60558 Echeclus, and 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, having detectable levels of volatile production in orbits entirely beyond Jupiter.[8] Chiron and Echeclus are therefore classified as both centaurs and comets, while Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has always held a comet designation. Other centaurs, such as 52872 Okyrhoe, are suspected of having shown comas. Any centaur that is perturbed close enough to the Sun is expected to become a comet.

## Classification

[edit]

A centaur has either a perihelion or a semi-major axis between those of the outer planets (between Jupiter and Neptune). Due to the inherent long-term instability of orbits in this region, even centaurs such as 2000 GM137 and 2001 XZ255, which do not currently cross the orbit of any planet, are in gradually changing orbits that will be perturbed until they start to cross the orbit of one or more of the giant planets.[1] Some astronomers count only bodies with semimajor axes in the region of the outer planets to be centaurs; others accept any body with a perihelion in the region, as their orbits are similarly unstable.

### Discrepant criteria

[edit]

However, different institutions have different criteria for classifying borderline objects, based on particular values of their orbital elements:

* The Minor Planet Center (MPC) defines centaurs as having a perihelion beyond the orbit of Jupiter (5.2 AU < q) and a semi-major axis less than that of Neptune (a < 30.1 AU).[9] Though nowadays the MPC often lists centaurs and scattered disc objects together as a single group.[citation needed]
* The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) similarly defines centaurs as having a semi-major axis, a, between those of Jupiter and Neptune (5.5 AU ≤ a ≤ 30.1 AU).[10]
* In contrast, the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES) defines centaurs using a dynamical classification scheme. These classifications are based on the simulated change in behavior of the present orbit when extended over 10 million years. The DES defines centaurs as non-resonant objects whose instantaneous (osculating) perihelia are less than the osculating semi-major axis of Neptune at any time during the simulation. This definition is intended to be synonymous with planet-crossing orbits and to suggest comparatively short lifetimes in the current orbit.[11]
* The collection The Solar System Beyond Neptune (2008) defines objects with a semi-major axis between those of Jupiter and Neptune and a Jupiter-relative Tisserand's parameter above 3.05 as centaurs, classifying the objects with a Jupiter-relative Tisserand's parameter below this and, to exclude Kuiper belt objects, an arbitrary perihelion cut-off half-way to Saturn (q ≤ 7.35 AU) as Jupiter-family comets, and classifying those objects on unstable orbits with a semi-major axis larger than Neptune's as members of the scattered disc.[12]
* Other astronomers prefer to define centaurs as objects that are non-resonant with a perihelion inside the orbit of Neptune that can be shown to likely cross the Hill sphere of a gas giant within the next 10 million years,[13] so that centaurs can be thought of as objects scattered inwards and that interact more strongly and scatter more quickly than typical scattered-disc objects.
* The JPL Small-Body Database lists 910 centaurs.[14] There are an additional 223 trans-Neptunian objects (objects with a semi-major axis further than Neptune's, i.e. 30.1 AU ≤ a) with a perihelion closer than the orbit of Uranus (q ≤ 19.2 AU).[15]

### Ambiguous objects

[edit]

The Gladman & Marsden (2008)[12] criteria would make some objects Jupiter-family comets: Both Echeclus (q = 5.8 AU, TJ = 3.03) and Okyrhoe (q = 5.8 AU; TJ = 2.95) have traditionally been classified as centaurs. Traditionally considered an asteroid, but classified as a centaur by JPL, Hidalgo (q = 1.95 AU; TJ = 2.07) would also change category to a Jupiter-family comet. 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (q = 5.72 AU; TJ = 2.99) has been categorized as both a centaur and a Jupiter-family comet depending on the definition used.[citation needed]

Other objects caught between these differences in classification methods include (44594) 1999 OX3, which has a semi-major axis of 32 AU but crosses the orbits of both Uranus and Neptune. It is listed as an outer centaur by the Deep Ecliptic Survey (DES). Among the inner centaurs, (434620) 2005 VD, with a perihelion distance very near Jupiter, is listed as a centaur by both JPL and DES.

A recent orbital simulation[4] of the evolution of Kuiper Belt Objects through the centaur region has identified a short-lived "orbital gateway" between 5.4 and 7.8 AU through which 21% of all centaurs pass, including 72% of the centaurs that become Jupiter-family comets. Four objects are known to occupy this region (29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, P/2010 TO20 LINEAR-Grauer, P/2008 CL94 Lemmon, and 2016 LN8), but simulations indicate that there may of order 1000 more objects >1 km in radius that have yet to be detected. Objects in this gateway region can display significant activity[16][17] and are in an important evolutionary transition state that further blurs the distinction between the centaur and Jupiter-family comet populations.[citation needed]

The Committee on Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union has not formally weighed in on any side of the debate. Instead, it has adopted the following naming convention for such objects: Befitting their centaur-like transitional orbits between TNOs and comets, "objects on unstable, non-resonant, giant-planet-crossing orbits with semimajor axes greater than Neptune's" are to be named for other hybrid and shape-shifting mythical creatures. Thus far, only the binary objects Ceto and Phorcys and Typhon and Echidna have been named according to the new policy.[18]

## Orbits

[edit]

### Distribution

[edit]

Orbits of known centaurs[note 2]

The diagram illustrates the orbits of known centaurs in relation to the orbits of the planets. For selected objects, the eccentricity of the orbits is represented by red segments (extending from perihelion to aphelion).

The orbits of centaurs show a wide range of eccentricity, from highly eccentric (Pholus, Asbolus, Amycus, Nessus) to more circular (Chariklo and the Saturn-crossers Thereus and Okyrhoe).

To illustrate the range of the orbits' parameters, the diagram shows a few objects with very unusual orbits, plotted in yellow :

* 1999 XS35 (Apollo asteroid) follows an extremely eccentric orbit (e = 0.947), leading it from inside Earth's orbit (0.94 AU) to well beyond Neptune (> 34 AU)
* 2007 TB434 follows a quasi-circular orbit (e < 0.026)
* 2001 XZ255 has the lowest inclination (i < 3°).
* 2004 YH32 is one of a small proportion of centaurs with an extreme prograde inclination (i > 60°). It follows such a highly inclined orbit (79°) that, while it crosses from the distance of the asteroid belt from the Sun to past the distance of Saturn, if its orbit is projected onto the plane of Jupiter's orbit, it does not even go out as far as Jupiter.

Over a dozen known centaurs follow retrograde orbits. Their inclinations range from modest (e.g., 160° for Dioretsa) to extreme (i < 120°; e.g. 105° for (342842) 2008 YB3[19]). Seventeen of these high-inclination, retrograde centaurs were controversially claimed to have an interstellar origin.[20][21][22]

### Changing orbits

[edit]

The semi-major axis of Asbolus during the next 5500 years, using two slightly different estimates of present-day orbital elements. After the Jupiter encounter of year 4713 the two calculations diverge.[23]

Because the centaurs are not protected by orbital resonances, their orbits are unstable within a timescale of 106-107 years.[24] For example, 55576 Amycus is in an unstable orbit near the 3:4 resonance of Uranus.[1] Dynamical studies of their orbits indicate that being a centaur is probably an intermediate orbital state of objects transitioning from the Kuiper belt to the Jupiter family of short-period comets. (679997) 2023 RB will have its orbit notably changed by a close approach to Saturn in 2201.

Objects may be perturbed from the Kuiper belt, whereupon they become Neptune-crossing and interact gravitationally with that planet (see theories of origin). They then become classed as centaurs, but their orbits are chaotic, evolving relatively rapidly as the centaur makes repeated close approaches to one or more of the outer planets. Some centaurs will evolve into Jupiter-crossing orbits whereupon their perihelia may become reduced into the inner Solar System and they may be reclassified as active comets in the Jupiter family if they display cometary activity. Centaurs will thus ultimately collide with the Sun or a planet or else they may be ejected into interstellar space after a close approach to one of the planets, particularly Jupiter.[citation needed]

## Physical characteristics

[edit]

Phoebe, a moon of Saturn imaged by the Cassini-Huygens probe in 2004, is theorized to be a captured centaur.

Compared to dwarf planets and asteroids, the relatively small size and distance of centaurs precludes remote observation of surfaces, but colour indices and spectra can provide clues about surface composition and insight into the origin of the bodies.[24]

### Colours

[edit]

Colour distribution of centaurs

The colours of centaurs are very diverse, which challenges any simple model of surface composition.[25] In the side-diagram, the colour indices are measures of apparent magnitude of an object through blue (B), visible (V) (i.e. green-yellow) and red (R) filters. The diagram illustrates these differences (in exaggerated colours) for all centaurs with known colour indices. For reference, two moons: Triton and Phoebe, and planet Mars are plotted (yellow labels, size not to scale).

Centaurs appear to be grouped into two classes:

* very red - for example 5145 Pholus
* blue (or blue-grey, according to some authors) - for example 2060 Chiron or 2020 MK4

There are numerous theories to explain this colour difference, but they can be broadly divided into two categories:

* The colour difference results from a difference in the origin and/or composition of the centaur (see origin below)
* The colour difference reflects a different level of space-weathering from radiation and/or cometary activity.

As examples of the second category, the reddish colour of Pholus has been explained as a possible mantle of irradiated red organics, whereas Chiron has instead had its ice exposed due to its periodic cometary activity, giving it a blue/grey index. The correlation with activity and color is not certain, however, as the active centaurs span the range of colors from blue (Chiron) to red (166P/NEAT).[26] Alternatively, Pholus may have been only recently expelled from the Kuiper belt, so that surface transformation processes have not yet taken place.

Delsanti et al. suggest multiple competing processes: reddening by the radiation, and blushing by collisions.[27][28]

### Spectra

[edit]

The interpretation of spectra is often ambiguous, related to particle sizes and other factors, but the spectra offer an insight into surface composition. As with the colours, the observed spectra can fit a number of models of the surface.

Water ice signatures have been confirmed on a number of centaurs[24] (including 2060 Chiron, 10199 Chariklo and 5145 Pholus). In addition to the water ice signature, a number of other models have been put forward:

* Chariklo's surface has been suggested to be a mixture of tholins (like those detected on Titan and Triton) with amorphous carbon.
* Pholus has been suggested to be covered by a mixture of Titan-like tholins, carbon black, olivine[29] and methanol ice.
* The surface of 52872 Okyrhoe has been suggested to be a mixture of kerogens, olivines and a small percentage of water ice.
* 8405 Asbolus has been suggested to be a mixture of 15% Triton-like tholins, 8% Titan-like tholin, 37% amorphous carbon and 40% ice tholin.

Chiron appears to be the most complex. The spectra observed vary depending on the period of the observation. Water ice signature was detected during a period of low activity and disappeared during high activity.[30][31][32]

### Similarities to comets

[edit]

Comet 38P exhibits centaur-like behavior by making close approaches to Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus between 1982 and 2067.[33]

Observations of Chiron in 1988 and 1989 near its perihelion found it to display a coma (a cloud of gas and dust evaporating from its surface). It is thus now officially classified as both a minor planet and a comet, although it is far larger than a typical comet and there is some lingering controversy. Other centaurs are being monitored for comet-like activity: so far two, 60558 Echeclus, and 166P/NEAT have shown such behavior. 166P/NEAT was discovered while it exhibited a coma, and so is classified as a comet, though its orbit is that of a centaur. 60558 Echeclus was discovered without a coma but recently became active,[34] and so it too is now classified as both a comet and an asteroid. Overall, there are ~30 centaurs for which activity has been detected, with the active population biased toward objects with smaller perihelion distances.[35]

Carbon monoxide has been detected in 60558 Echeclus[8] and Chiron[36] in very small amounts, and the derived CO production rate was calculated to be sufficient to account for the observed coma. The calculated CO production rate from both 60558 Echeclus and Chiron is substantially lower than what is typically observed for 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann,[16] another distantly active comet often classified as a centaur.

There is no clear orbital distinction between centaurs and comets. Both 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann and 39P/Oterma have been referred to as centaurs since they have typical centaur orbits. The comet 39P/Oterma is currently inactive and was seen to be active only before it was perturbed into a centaur orbit by Jupiter in 1963.[37] The faint comet 38P/Stephan–Oterma would probably not show a coma if it had a perihelion distance beyond Jupiter's orbit at 5 AU. By the year 2200, comet 78P/Gehrels will probably migrate outwards into a centaur-like orbit.[citation needed]

### Rotational periods

[edit]

A periodogram analysis of the light-curves of these Chiron and Chariklo gives respectively the following rotational periods: 5.5±0.4~h and 7.0± 0.6~h.[38]

### Size, density, reflectivity

[edit]

Centaurs can reach diameters up to hundreds of kilometers. The largest centaurs have diameters in excess of 300 km, and primarily reside beyond 20 AU.[39]

## Hypotheses of origin

[edit]

The study of centaurs’ origins is rich in recent developments, but any conclusions are still hampered by limited physical data. Different models have been put forward for possible origin of centaurs.

Simulations indicate that the orbit of some Kuiper belt objects can be perturbed, resulting in the object's expulsion so that it becomes a centaur. Scattered disc objects would be dynamically the best candidates (For instance, the centaurs could be part of an "inner" scattered disc of objects perturbed inwards from the Kuiper belt.) for such expulsions, but their colours do not fit the bicoloured nature of the centaurs. Plutinos are a class of Kuiper belt object that display a similar bicoloured nature, and there are suggestions that not all plutinos' orbits are as stable as initially thought, due to perturbation by Pluto.[40] Further developments are expected with more physical data on Kuiper belt objects.

Some centaurs may have their origin in fragmentation episodes, perhaps triggered during close encounters with Jupiter.[41] The orbits of centaurs 2020 MK4, P/2008 CL94 (Lemmon), and P/2010 TO20 (LINEAR-Grauer) pass close to that of comet 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann, the first discovered centaur and close encounters are possible in which one of the objects traverses the coma of 29P when active.[41]

At least one centaur, 2013 VZ70, might have an origin among Saturn's irregular moon population via impact, fragmentation, or tidal disruption.[42]

## Notable centaurs

[edit]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of centaurs (small Solar System bodies).

Name | Year | Discoverer | Half-life[1]
(forward) | Class[a]

|
|
|
|

2060 Chiron | 1977 | Charles T. Kowal | 1.03 Ma | SU
5145 Pholus | 1992 | Spacewatch (David L. Rabinowitz) | 1.28 Ma | SN
7066 Nessus | 1993 | Spacewatch (David L. Rabinowitz) | 4.9 Ma | SK
8405 Asbolus | 1995 | Spacewatch (James V. Scotti) | 0.86 Ma | SN
10199 Chariklo | 1997 | Spacewatch | 10.3 Ma | U
10370 Hylonome | 1995 | Mauna Kea Observatory | 6.3 Ma | UN
54598 Bienor | 2000 | Marc W. Buie et al. | ? | U
55576 Amycus | 2002 | NEAT at Palomar | 11.1 Ma | UK

1. ^ the class is defined by the perihelion and aphelion distance of the object: S indicates a perihelion/aphelion near Saturn, U near Uranus, N near Neptune, and K in the Kuiper belt.

## See also

[edit]

* Asteroid
* Dwarf planet

## Explanatory notes

[edit]

1. ^ For criticism of this idea see:[3]
2. ^ For the purpose of this diagram, an object is classified as a centaur if its semi-major axis lies between Jupiter and Neptune

## References

[edit]

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30. ^ Dotto, E; Barucci, M A; De Bergh, C (June 2003). "Colours and composition of the Centaurs". Earth, Moon, and Planets. 92 (1–4): 157–167\. Bibcode:2003EM&P...92..157D. doi:10.1023/b:moon.0000031934.89097.88. S2CID 189905595.1–4&rft.pages=157-167&rft.date=2003-06&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:189905595#id-name=S2CID&rft_id=info:doi/10.1023/b:moon.0000031934.89097.88&rft_id=info:bibcode/2003EM&P...92..157D;&rft.aulast=Dotto&rft.aufirst=E&rft.au=Barucci,+M+A&rft.au=De+Bergh,+C&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Centaur+(small+Solar+System+body)" class="Z3988">
31. ^ Luu, Jane X.; Jewitt, David; Trujillo, C. A. (2000). "Water Ice on 2060 Chiron and its Implications for Centaurs and Kuiper Belt Objects". The Astrophysical Journal. 531 (2): L151 – L154. arXiv:astro-ph/0002094. Bibcode:2000ApJ...531L.151L. doi:10.1086/312536. PMID 10688775. S2CID 9946112.
32. ^ Fernandez, Y. R.; Jewitt, D. C.; Sheppard, S. S. (2002). "Thermal Properties of Centaurs Asbolus and Chiron". The Astronomical Journal. 123 (2): 1050–1055\. arXiv:astro-ph/0111395. Bibcode:2002AJ....123.1050F. doi:10.1086/338436. S2CID 11266670.
33. ^ "JPL Close-Approach Data: 38P/Stephan-Oterma". NASA. 1981-04-04. last obs. Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
34. ^ Choi, Y-J.; Weissman, P.R.; Polishook, D. (January 2006). "(60558) 2000 EC_98". IAU Circ. (8656): 2.
35. ^ Jewitt, D. (2009). "The Active Centaurs". The Astronomical Journal. 137 (5): 4295–4312\. arXiv:0902.4687. Bibcode:2009AJ....137.4296J. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa689c. S2CID 119093318.
36. ^ Womack, M.; Stern, A. (1999). "Observations of Carbon Monoxide in (2060) Chiron" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science XXVIII. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
37. ^ Mazzotta Epifani, E.; Palumbo, P.; Capria, M. T.; Cremonese, G.; Fulle, M.; Colangeli, L. (2006). "The dust coma of the active Centaur P/2004 A1 (LONEOS): a CO-driven environment?". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 460 (3): 935–944\. Bibcode:2006A&A...460..935M. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20065189.
38. ^ Galiazzo, M. A.; de la Fuente Marcos, C.; de la Fuente Marcos, R.; Carraro, G.; Maris, M.; Montalto, M. (2016). "Photometry of Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects: 2060 Chiron (1977 UB), 10199 Chariklo (1997 CU26), 38628 Huya (2000 EB173), 28978 Ixion (2001 KX76), and 90482 Orcus (2004 DW)". Astrophysics and Space Science. 361 (3): 212–218\. arXiv:1605.08251. Bibcode:2016Ap&SS.361..212G. doi:10.1007/s10509-016-2801-5. S2CID 119204060.
39. ^ Galiazzo, M. A.; Wiegert, P. & Aljbaae, S. (2016). "Influence of the Centaurs and TNOs on the main belt and its families". Astrophysics and Space Science. 361 (12): 361–371\. arXiv:1611.05731. Bibcode:2016Ap&SS.361..371G. doi:10.1007/s10509-016-2957-z. S2CID 118898917.
40. ^ Wan, X.-S.; Huang, T.-Y. (2001). "The orbit evolution of 32 plutinos over 100 million years". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 368 (2): 700–705\. Bibcode:2001A&A...368..700W. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010056.
41. ^ a b de la Fuente Marcos, C.; de la Fuente Marcos, R.; Licandro, J.; Serra-Ricart, M.; Martino, S.; de Leon, J.; Chaudry, F.; Alarcón, M. R. (13 May 2021). "The active centaur 2020 MK4". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 649 (1): A85 (15 pages). arXiv:2104.01668. Bibcode:2021A&A...649A..85D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039117. S2CID 233024896.
42. ^ de la Fuente Marcos, C.; de la Fuente Marcos, R. (10 January 2022). "Centaur 2013 VZ70: Debris from Saturn's irregular moon population?". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 657 (1): A59 (10 pp). arXiv:2110.04264. Bibcode:2022A&A...657A..59D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142166. S2CID 238856647.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Centaurs (minor planets).

* List of centaurs and scattered-disk objects
* Centaurs from The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology Astronomy and Spaceflight
* Horner, Jonathan; Lykawka, Patryk Sofia (2010). "Planetary Trojans – the main source of short period comets?". International Journal of Astrobiology. 9 (4): 227–234\. arXiv:1007.2541. Bibcode:2010IJAsB...9..227H. doi:10.1017/S1473550410000212. S2CID 53982616.
* NASA's WISE Finds Mysterious Centaurs May Be Comets (2013)

* v
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Small Solar System bodies

Minor planets|

* Designation
* Groups
* List
* Moon
* Meanings of names

Asteroid|

* Active
* Aten asteroid
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Distant minor planet|

*     * Centaur
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Comets|

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Asteroids

Main|

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* Active asteroids
* Outer Solar System, does not include distant minor planets
* Jupiter-crossers
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* Centaurs
* Exoasteroids

Classification|

| Orbital|

* Group
* Family
* (list)

|

Spectral|

| Tholen|

* C-group
* B-type
* F-type
* G-type
* C-type
* S-type
* X-group
* M-type
* E-type
* P-type

* small classes
* A-type
* D-type
* J-type
* T-type
* Q-type
* R-type
* V-type

|

SMASS|

* C-group
* B-type
* C-type
* Cg
* Ch
* Cgh
* Cb
* S-group
* A-type
* Q-type
* R-type
* K-type
* L-type
* S-type
* Sa
* Sq
* Sr
* Sk
* Sl

* X-group
* X-type
* Xe
* Xc
* Xk
* small types
* T-type
* D-type
* Ld-type
* O-type
* V-type

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Lists|

* Minor planets
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Related|

* Asteroid Day
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* occultation

* Comet
* Minor planet

* Category

* v
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Comets

| Features|

* Nucleus
* Coma
* Tails
* Antitail
* Comet dust
* Meteor shower

|
|

Types|

* Periodic
* Numbered
* Lost
* Long period
* Halley-type
* Jupiter-family
* Encke-type
* Main-belt
* Non-periodic
* Near-parabolic
* Hyperbolic
* Unknown-orbit
* Great Comet
* Sungrazing (Kreutz)
* Extinct
* Exocomet
* Interstellar
* Dark comet

Related|

* Naming of comets
* Observational history of comets
* Centaur
* Comet discoverers
* LINEAR
* Extraterrestrial atmosphere
* Oort cloud
* Small Solar System body
* Asteroid

Exploration|

* List of missions to comets
* List of comets visited by spacecraft

Latest|

* C/2025 F2 (SWAN)
* C/2024 S1 (ATLAS)
* C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
* C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)
* C/2023 H2 (Lemmon)
* C/2023 E1 (ATLAS)
* C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)
* C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
* C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS)
* C/2021 J1 (Maury-Attard)
* C/2021 A1 (Leonard)
* C/2020 F8 (SWAN)
* C/2020 F5 (MASTER)
* C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
* C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)
* C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS)
* C/2019 U6 (Lemmon)
* 2I/Borisov
* P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS)
* C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto)
* C/2018 C2 (Lemmon)
* C/2017 U7
* C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS)

Culture and
speculation|

* Antimatter comet
* Comets in fiction
* Comet vintages

Lists of comets (more)

| Periodic
comets|

| Until 1985
(all)|

* 1P/Halley
* 2P/Encke
* 3D/Biela
* 4P/Faye
* 5D/Brorsen
* 6P/d'Arrest
* 7P/Pons–Winnecke
* 8P/Tuttle
* 9P/Tempel
* 10P/Tempel
* 11P/Tempel–Swift–LINEAR
* 12P/Pons–Brooks
* 13P/Olbers
* 14P/Wolf
* 15P/Finlay
* 16P/Brooks
* 17P/Holmes
* 18D/Perrine–Mrkos
* 19P/Borrelly
* 20D/Westphal
* 21P/Giacobini–Zinner
* 22P/Kopff
* 23P/Brorsen–Metcalf
* 24P/Schaumasse
* 25D/Neujmin
* 26P/Grigg–Skjellerup
* 27P/Crommelin
* 28P/Neujmin
* 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann
* 30P/Reinmuth
* 31P/Schwassmann–Wachmann
* 32P/Comas Solà
* 33P/Daniel
* 34D/Gale
* 35P/Herschel–Rigollet
* 36P/Whipple
* 37P/Forbes
* 38P/Stephan–Oterma
* 39P/Oterma
* 40P/Väisälä
* 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák
* 42P/Neujmin
* 43P/Wolf–Harrington
* 44P/Reinmuth
* 45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková
* 46P/Wirtanen
* 47P/Ashbrook–Jackson
* 48P/Johnson
* 49P/Arend–Rigaux
* 50P/Arend
* 51P/Harrington
* 52P/Harrington–Abell
* 53P/Van Biesbroeck
* 54P/de Vico–Swift–NEAT
* 55P/Tempel–Tuttle
* 56P/Slaughter–Burnham
* 57P/du Toit–Neujmin–Delporte
* 58P/Jackson–Neujmin
* 59P/Kearns–Kwee
* 60P/Tsuchinshan
* 61P/Shajn–Schaldach
* 62P/Tsuchinshan
* 63P/Wild
* 64P/Swift–Gehrels
* 65P/Gunn
* 66P/du Toit
* 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
* 68P/Klemola
* 69P/Taylor
* 70P/Kojima
* 71P/Clark
* 72P/Denning–Fujikawa
* 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann
* 74P/Smirnova–Chernykh
* 75D/Kohoutek
* 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura
* 77P/Longmore
* 78P/Gehrels
* 79P/du Toit–Hartley
* 80P/Peters–Hartley
* 81P/Wild
* 82P/Gehrels
* 83D/Russell
* 84P/Giclas
* 85D/Boethin

|

After 1985
(notable)|

* 88P/Howell
* 92P/Sanguin
* 96P/Machholz
* 97P/Metcalf–Brewington
* 103P/Hartley
* 107P/Wilson–Harrington
* 108P/Ciffréo
* 109P/Swift–Tuttle
* 122P/de Vico
* 126P/IRAS
* 141P/Machholz
* 144P/Kushida
* 147P/Kushida–Muramatsu
* 153P/Ikeya–Zhang
* 156P/Russell–LINEAR
* 161P/Hartley–IRAS
* 162P/Siding Spring
* 168P/Hergenrother
* 169P/NEAT
* 177P/Barnard
* 178P/Hug–Bell
* 205P/Giacobini
* 209P/LINEAR
* 238P/Read
* 246P/NEAT
* 249P/LINEAR
* 252P/LINEAR
* 255P/Levy
* 273P/Pons–Gambart
* 289P/Blanpain
* 311P/PanSTARRS
* 322P/SOHO
* 323P/SOHO
* 332P/Ikeya–Murakami
* 333P/LINEAR
* 354P/LINEAR
* 362P
* 460P/PanSTARRS

Comet-like
asteroids|

* 596 Scheila
* 2060 Chiron (95P)
* 4015 Wilson–Harrington (107P)
* 7968 Elst–Pizarro (133P)
* 165P/LINEAR
* 166P/NEAT
* 167P/CINEOS
* 60558 Echeclus (174P)
* 118401 LINEAR (176P)
* 238P/Read
* 259P/Garradd
* 311P/PanSTARRS
* 324P/La Sagra
* 331P/Gibbs
* 354P/LINEAR
* 358P/PANSTARRS
* P/2013 R3 (Catalina-PANSTARRS)
* (300163) 2006 VW139

Lost|

| Recovered|

* 9P/Tempel
* 11P/Tempel–Swift–LINEAR
* 15P/Finlay
* 17P/Holmes
* 27P/Crommelin
* 54P/de Vico–Swift–NEAT
* 55P/Tempel–Tuttle
* 57P/du Toit–Neujmin–Delporte
* 69P/Taylor
* 72P/Denning–Fujikawa
* 80P/Peters–Hartley
* 97P/Metcalf–Brewington
* 107P/Wilson–Harrington
* 113P/Spitaler
* 122P/de Vico
* 157P/Tritton
* 205P/Giacobini
* 206P/Barnard–Boattini
* 226P/Pigott–LINEAR–Kowalski
* 271P/van Houten–Lemmon
* 289P/Blanpain
* 489P/Denning

|

Destroyed|

* 3D/Biela
* D/1993 F2 (Shoemaker–Levy 9)

Not found|

* D/1770 L1 (Lexell)
* 5D/Brorsen
* 18D/Perrine–Mrkos
* 20D/Westphal
* 25D/Neujmin
* 34D/Gale
* 75D/Kohoutek
* 83D/Russell
* 85D/Boethin
* D/1978 R1 (Haneda–Campos)

Visited by
spacecraft|

* 21P/Giacobini–Zinner (1985)
* 1P/Halley (1986)
* 26P/Grigg–Skjellerup (1992)
* 19P/Borrelly (2001)
* 81P/Wild (2004)
* 9P/Tempel (2005, 2011)
* C/2006 P1 (2007)
* 103P/Hartley (2010)
* 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (2014)

Near-Parabolic
comets
(notable)|

| Until 1990|

* C/-43 K1 (Caesar's Comet)
* X/1106 C1 (Great Comet of 1106)
* C/1264 N1 (Great Comet of 1264)
* C/1402 D1 (Great Comet of 1402)
* C/1471 Y1 (Great Comet of 1472)
* C/1577 V1 (Great Comet of 1577)
* C/1652 Y1
* C/1680 V1 (Great Comet of 1680, Kirsch's Comet, Newton's Comet))
* C/1702 H1 (Comet of 1702)
* C/1729 P1 (Comet of 1729, Comet Sarabat)
* C/1739 K1 (Zanotti)
* C/1743 X1 (Great Comet of 1744, Comet Klinkenberg-Chéseaux)
* C/1760 A1 (Great Comet of 1760)
* C/1769 P1 (Great Comet of 1769)
* C/1807 R1 (Great Comet of 1807)
* C/1811 F1 (Great Comet of 1811)
* C/1819 N1 (Great Comet of 1819)
* C/1823 Y1 (Great Comet of 1823)
* C/1843 D1 (Great March Comet of 1843)
* C/1846 J1 (Brorsen)
* C/1847 T1 (Miss Mitchell's Comet)
* C/1852 K1 (Chacornac)
* C/1853 G1 (Schweizer)
* C/1858 L1 (Comet Donati)
* C/1861 G1 (Comet Thatcher)
* C/1861 J1 (Great Comet of 1861)
* C/1862 N1 (Schmidt)
* C/1864 N1 (Tempel)
* C/1865 B1 (Great Southern Comet of 1865)
* X/1872 X1 (Pogson's Comet)
* C/1874 H1 (Comet Coggia)
* C/1881 K1 (Comet Tebbutt)
* C/1882 R1 (Great Comet of 1882)
* C/1887 B1 (Great Southern Comet of 1887)
* C/1893 U1 (Brooks)
* C/1901 G1 (Great Comet of 1901)
* C/1907 G1 (Grigg–Mellish)
* C/1910 A1 (Great January Comet of 1910)
* C/1911 N1 (Kiess)
* C/1911 O1 (Brooks)
* C/1911 S3 (Beljawsky)
* C/1915 C1 (Mellish)
* C/1917 F1 (Mellish)
* C/1927 X1 (Skjellerup–Maristany)
* C/1931 P1 (Ryves)
* C/1936 O1 (Kaho–Kozik–Lis)
* C/1939 H1 (Jurlof–Achmarof–Hassel)
* C/1941 B2 (de Kock-Paraskevopoulos)
* C/1947 X1 (Southern Comet)
* C/1948 L1 (Honda–Bernasconi)
* C/1948 V1 (Eclipse)
* C/1956 R1 (Arend–Roland)
* C/1957 P1 (Mrkos)
* C/1961 O1 (Wilson-Hubbard)
* C/1961 R1 (Humason)
* C/1961 T1 (Seki)
* C/1962 C1 (Seki-Lines)
* C/1963 A1 (Ikeya)
* C/1963 R1 (Pereyra)
* C/1964 N1 (Ikeya)
* C/1965 S1 (Ikeya-Seki)
* C/1969 T1 (Tago-Sato-Kosaka)
* C/1969 Y1 (Bennett)
* C/1970 K1 (White–Ortiz–Bolelli)
* C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek)
* C/1975 T2 (Suzuki–Saigusa–Mori)
* C/1975 V1 (West)
* C/1979 Y1 (Bradfield)
* C/1980 E1 (Bowell)
* C/1983 H1 (IRAS–Araki–Alcock)
* C/1983 J1 (Sugano–Saigusa–Fujikawa)
* C/1989 W1 (Aarseth-Brewington)
* C/1989 X1 (Austin)
* C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko–George)

|

After 1990|

* C/1990 K1 (Levy)
* C/1992 J1 (Spacewatch–Rabinowitz)
* C/1993 Y1 (McNaught–Russell)
* C/1995 O1 (Hale–Bopp)
* C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)
* C/1997 L1 (Zhu–Balam)
* C/1998 H1 (Stonehouse)
* C/1998 J1 (SOHO)
* C/1999 F1 (Catalina)
* C/1999 S4 (LINEAR)
* C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR)
* C/2001 A2 (LINEAR)
* C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS)
* C/2001 Q4 (NEAT)
* C/2002 T7 (LINEAR)
* C/2002 V1 (NEAT)
* C/2004 F4 (Bradfield)
* C/2004 Q2 (Machholz)
* C/2006 A1 (Pojmański)
* C/2006 M4 (SWAN)
* C/2006 P1 (McNaught)
* C/2007 E2 (Lovejoy)
* C/2007 F1 (LONEOS)
* C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
* C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
* C/2007 W1 (Boattini)
* C/2009 F6 (Yi–SWAN)
* C/2009 R1 (McNaught)
* C/2010 X1 (Elenin)
* C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS)
* C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy)
* C/2012 E2 (SWAN)
* C/2012 F6 (Lemmon)
* C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS)
* C/2012 S1 (ISON)
* C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)
* C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy)
* C/2013 US10 (Catalina)
* C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden)
* C/2014 E2 (Jacques)
* C/2014 Q1 (PanSTARRS)
* C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)
* C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli–Bernstein)
* C/2015 ER61 (PanSTARRS)
* C/2015 V2 (Johnson)
* C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS)
* 1I/2017 U1 ʻOumuamua
* C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto)
* 2I/Borisov
* C/2019 U6 (Lemmon)
* C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)
* C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
* C/2020 F8 (SWAN)
* C/2021 A1 (Leonard)
* C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
* C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)
* C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)
* C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
* C/2024 S1 (ATLAS)

After 1910
(by name)|

* Aarseth-Brewington
* Arend–Roland
* ATLAS
* C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)
* C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
* C/2024 S1 (ATLAS)
* Austin
* Beljawsky
* Bennett
* Bernardinelli–Bernstein
* Boattini
* Borisov
* Bowell
* Bradfield
* C/1979 Y1
* C/2004 F4
* Brooks
* Catalina
* C/1999 F1
* C/2013 US10
* de Kock–Paraskevopoulos
* Eclipse
* Elenin
* Hale-Bopp
* Honda–Bernasconi
* Humason
* Hyakutake
* Ikeya
* C/1963 A1
* C/1964 N1
* Ikeya-Seki
* IRAS–Araki–Alcock
* ISON
* Iwamoto
* Jacques
* Johnson
* Jurlof–Achmarof–Hassel
* Kaho–Kozik–Lis
* Kiess
* Kohoutek
* Lemmon
* C/2012 F6
* C/2018 C2
* C/2019 U6
* Leonard
* Levy
* LINEAR
* C/1999 S4
* C/2000 WM1
* C/2001 A2
* C/2002 T7
* LONEOS
* C/2001 OG108
* C/2007 F1
* Lovejoy
* C/2007 E2
* C/2011 W3
* C/2013 R1
* C/2014 Q2
* Lulin
* Machholz
* McNaught
* C/2006 P1
* C/2009 R1
* McNaught–Russell
* John E. Mellish
* C/1915 C1 (Mellish)
* C/1917 F1 (Mellish)
* Mrkos
* NEAT
* C/2001 Q4
* C/2002 V1
* NEOWISE
* Nishimura
* Oukaimeden
* ʻOumuamua
* Pan-STARRS
* C/2011 L4
* C/2012 K1
* 311P/PanSTARRS
* C/2014 Q1
* C/2015 ER61
* C/2017 K2
* Pereyra
* Pojmański
* Ryves
* Seki
* Seki–Lines
* Siding Spring
* C/2007 Q3
* C/2013 A1
* Skjellerup–Maristany
* Skorichenko–George
* SOHO
* Southern
* Spacewatch–Rabinowitz
* Stonehouse
* Sugano–Saigusa–Fujikawa
* Suzuki–Saigusa–Mori
* SWAN
* C/2006 M4
* C/2012 E2
* C/2020 F8
* Tago-Sato-Kosaka
* Tsuchinshan–ATLAS
* West
* White–Ortiz–Bolelli
* Wilson–Hubbard
* Yi–SWAN
* Zhu–Balam
* ZTF

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Solar System

* Sun
* Mercury
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Ceres
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Orcus
* Pluto
* Haumea
* Quaoar
* Makemake
* Gonggong
* Eris
* Sedna

| Planets,
dwarfs,
minors|

* Terrestrials
* Mercury
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Giants
* Gas
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Ice
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Dwarfs
* Ceres
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Moons|

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* S/2015 (136472) 1
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Hypothetical
objects|

* Bagby's moon
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Lists|

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| Rings|

* Planetary
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|

Formation,
evolution,
contents,
and
History|

* Star formation
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Small
Solar
System
bodies|

* Asteroid belt
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Related|

* Double planet
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* Tidal locking

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