43P/Wolf–Harrington is a Jupiter-family comet discovered on December 22, 1924, by Max Wolf from the Heidelberg Observatory. In 2019, it passed within 0.065 AU (9.7 million km; 6.0 million mi) of Jupiter, which lifted the perihelion point and increased the orbital period to 9 years. The comet last came to perihelion in August 2025 and will return to perihelion in August 2034. During the 1997 apparition the comet reached an apparent magnitude a little bit brighter than 12. The comet had an unfavorable apparition in 2010, because during perihelion (closest approach to the Sun), the comet was only 10 degrees from the Sun as seen from Earth. The comet was not more favorably positioned in the sky until mid October 2010.
Physical characteristics Initial estimates in 2004 place the size of the nucleus of Comet Wolf–Harrington about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) in diameter. This was later revised to 4.76 km (2.96 mi) after follow-up observations in 2011.
References
External links 43P/Wolf–Harrington at the JPL Small-Body Database Elements and Ephemeris for 43P/Wolf–Harrington – Minor Planet Center 43P/Wolf–Harrington at the Minor Planet Center's Database 43P/Wolf–Harrington at Seiichi Yoshida's website 43P/Wolf–Harrington on 13 April 2011 (mag 17.4N) C. Bell with a 12" (0.3-m) Schmidt-Cassegrain