71P/Clark

71P/Clark is a periodic comet in the Solar System with an orbital period of 5.5 years.

71P/Clark

Discovery
Discovered by	Michael Clark
Discovery date	June 9, 1973
Designations
Alternative designations	1973 V; 1978 XXIII; 1984 VIII; 1989 XX; 1994t
Orbital characteristics
Epoch	March 6, 2006
Aphelion	4.685 AU
Perihelion	1.562 AU
Semi-major axis	3.124 AU
Eccentricity	0.4999
Orbital period	5.521 a
Inclination	9.4883°
Last perihelion	2023-Jan-21[1] June 30, 2017[2] December 15, 2011
Next perihelion	2028-Sep-28[3]

It was discovered by Michael Clark at Mount John University Observatory, New Zealand on 9 June 1973 with a brightness of apparent magnitude 13. Subsequently it has been observed in 1978, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2011^[4] and 2017.^[5]

The nucleus of the comet has a radius of 0.68 ± 0.04 kilometers, assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04, based on observations by Hubble Space Telescope,^[6] while observations by Keck indicate a radius of 1.305 km.^[7]

See also

• List of numbered comets