40P/Väisälä

< 40P

40P/Väisälä
Comet Väisälä 1 imaged from the Vega Observatory on March 18, 2004.
Discovery
Discovered byYrjö Väisälä
Discovery siteUniversity of Turku, Finland
Discovery dateFebruary 8, 1939
Designations
P/1939 CB
P/1949 Y1
  • Väisälä 1
  • 1939 IV, 1949 V
  • 1960 IV, 1971 VII
  • 1982 V, 1993 VIII
Orbital characteristics
EpochMay 5, 2025 (JD 2460800.5)
Observation arc86.16 years
Earliest precovery dateJanuary 18, 1939
Number of
observations
1,243
Aphelion8.079 AU
Perihelion1.824 AU
Semi-major axis4.951 AU
Eccentricity0.63169
Orbital period11.018 years
Inclination11.539°
128.90°
Argument of
periapsis
52.029°
Mean anomaly342.92°
Last perihelionNovember 15, 2014
Next perihelionNovember 12, 2025
TJupiter2.535
Earth MOID0.823 AU
Jupiter MOID0.077 AU
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
4.2 km (2.6 mi)
Comet total
magnitude
(M1)
11.6
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)
14.8

40P/Väisälä is a periodic comet that was discovered on February 8, 1939. Its orbit was determined on April 26, 1939. In 1994, the diameter of its nucleus was found to be 4.2 km (2.6 mi), similar in size to that of Comet Encke.