57P/du Toit–Neujmin–Delporte
Infrared image of Comet du Toit–Neujmin–Delporte taken by NEOWISE on 13 June 2015 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | |
| Discovery date | 18 July 1941 |
| Designations | |
| |
| |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) |
| Observation arc | 81.55 years |
| Number of observations | 2,146 |
| Aphelion | 5.166 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.714 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.440 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.50175 |
| Orbital period | 6.381 years |
| Inclination | 2.854° |
| 188.71° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 115.05° |
| Mean anomaly | 231.15° |
| Last perihelion | 17 October 2021 |
| Next perihelion | 3 March 2028 |
| TJupiter | 2.917 |
| Earth MOID | 0.714 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.299 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 0.78 km (0.48 mi) (A) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 8.5 |
57P/du Toit–Neujmin–Delporte is the designation of a periodic comet. It is a member of the Jupiter family of comets whose orbits and evolution are strongly influenced by the giant planet. In 2002, it was discovered to have broken up into at least 20 fragments. At the time of their discovery, these shed fragments were spread out along the orbital path subtending an angle of 27 arcminutes from the comet's surviving head.