Comet Tempel 1 Facts
By : John Whitworth / Updated : Jul 16th, 2026 23:49
Contents
Comet Tempel 1 is a comet, a celestial body that is composed of ice and rock that when it gets closer to the sun begins to burn away and produce a long tail. It is composed mainly of ice and dust. As the orbital period is less than 200 years, it is deemed to be a short-term period comet.
Comet Tempel 1 absolute magnitude is 12, which is the object's brightness. A higher absolute magnitude means that the object is faint, whereas a very low number means it is very bright. The closest the Comet Tempel 1 came to its orbitting target was 2005-07-07 at which point it was 1.5 A.U. distance away.
Orbital Details
Comet Tempel 1 orbital period, the time it takes to complete an orbit of the Sun, is 5.51 years. The orbital inclination of Comet Tempel 1, the angle at which Comet Tempel 1 orbits to the orbital plane, is 10.5 degrees. The orbital eccentricity is 0.519 of Comet Tempel 1, the degree at which Comet Tempel 1 orbits close to a circular (0) orbit as opposed to an elliptical (1). The semi-major axis of Comet Tempel 1 orbit is 3.12 (A.U.), the furthest point from the centre to the edge of an elliptical.
Facts and Figures
| Type | Comet |
| Absolute Magnitude | 12 |
| Perihelion Distance | 1.5 |
| Orbital Period | 5.51 Yrs |
| Orbital Period Type | Short |
| Orbital Inclination | 10.5° |
| Orbital Eccentricity | 0.519 |
| Semi-Major Axis | 3.12 A.U. |
