4P/Faye
Jupiter-family comet discovered in 1843 by Hervé Faye.
4P/Faye, called Faye's Comet or Comet Faye, belongs to the Jupiter family of comets. Hervé Faye spotted it in November 1843 from the Royal Observatory in Paris. On August 24, 2028, it will sit 1.5 AU from Earth, with a solar elongation of 150 degrees and a magnitude near 14. It reaches perihelion on March 9, 2029.
Faye first saw the comet on November 23, but cloudy weather delayed confirmation until the 25th. The comet was so dim that it had already passed perihelion roughly a month earlier; only a close approach to Earth made it bright enough to detect. Otto Wilhelm von Struve reported naked-eye visibility in late November. Small telescopes could still pick it out until January 10, 1844, and larger telescopes lost it on April 10, 1844. In 1844, Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander and Thomas James Henderson independently recognized it as a short-period comet, and by May its period was calculated at 7.43 years. Urbain Le Verrier predicted its 1851 return, with perihelion in April 1851; James Challis recovered it near the predicted spot on November 29, 1850. The comet was missed during its 1903 and 1918 appearances due to poor viewing conditions. In 2006 it reached about 9th magnitude.
Every 59.3 years, the comet passes close to Jupiter, which slowly reduces its perihelion distance and increases its orbital eccentricity. During its 2018 encounter with Jupiter, the perihelion shifted from about 1.7 AU to about 1.5 AU. Orbital calculations covering 1660 to 2060 show nine approaches within 1.5 AU (220 million km) of Jupiter, but no major perturbations were recorded.
Hubble Space Telescope observations from July 1999 to June 2000 estimated the nucleus diameter at roughly 3.54 km (2.20 mi).
Quick Facts
- Discoverer
- Hervé Faye
- Discovery Site
- Royal Observatory, France
- Discovery Date
- 23 November 1843
- Mpc Name
- P/1843 W1, P/1850 W1
- Designations
- 1843 III, 1851 I, 1858 V · 1866 II, 1873 III, 1881 I · 1888 IV, 1896 II, 1910 V · 1925 V, 1932 IX, 1940 II · 1947 IX, 1955 II, 1962 VII · 1969 VI, 1977 IV, 1984 XI · 1991 XXI
- Orbit Ref
- jpldata · mpc
- Epoch
- 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
- Obs
- 7,603
- Perihelion
- 1.619 AU
- Aphelion
- 6.034 AU
- Semimajor
- 3.827 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.57683
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The comet was first observed by Faye on November 23, 1843, but bad weather prevented its confirmation until the 25th. It was so faint that it had already passed perihelion about a month before its discovery, and only a close pass by the Earth had made it bright enough for discovery. Otto Wilhelm von Struve reported that the comet was visible to the naked eye at the end of November. It remained visible for smaller telescopes until January 10, 1844, and was finally lost to larger telescopes on April 10, 1844.
In 1844, Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander and Thomas James Henderson independently computed that the comet was a short-period comet; by May, its period had been calculated to be 7.43 years. Urbain Le Verrier computed the positions for the 1851 apparition, predicting perihelion in April 1851. The comet was found close to its predicted position on November 29, 1850, by James Challis.
The comet was missed during its apparitions in 1903 and 1918 due to unfavorable observing circumstances. It reached a brightness of about 9th magnitude in 2006. Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope between July 1999 and June 2000 revealed that the nucleus is estimated to be about 3.54 km in diameter.
Reader's Guide
4P/Faye holds significance as an early recognized short-period comet, with its orbit computed independently by Argelander and Henderson in 1844. Its discovery by Hervé Faye at the Royal Observatory in Paris added to the growing catalog of periodic comets in the 19th century. The comet's orbit is influenced by Jupiter, encountering the planet once every 59.3 years, which gradually reduces its perihelion and increases its orbital eccentricity. During its 2018 encounter of Jupiter, Faye's perihelion changed from about 1.7 AU to about 1.5 AU. Orbital calculations spanning from 1660 to 2060 revealed nine approaches less than 1.5 AU from Jupiter, though no significant perturbations were observed. The comet's legacy includes its role in demonstrating the predictive power of celestial mechanics, as Le Verrier's calculations for the 1851 apparition led to its recovery by Challis. Modern observations, including Hubble Space Telescope imaging, have provided physical characterization of its nucleus. The comet remains observable, with a predicted magnitude of about 14 during its 2028 close approach to Earth.
Did You Know?
- The comet was discovered by Hervé Faye at the Royal Observatory in Paris in November 1843.
- It was independently identified as a short-period comet by Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander and Thomas James Henderson in 1844.
- The comet's nucleus is estimated to be about 3.54 km in diameter based on Hubble Space Telescope observations.
More in Named Comets, Part 5 1-24
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