TempelTuttle

TempelTuttle, also known as 55P/Tempel–Tuttle, is a short-period, retrograde comet. It is best known as the parent body of the Leonid meteor shower. The name reflects its two co-discoverers, Wilhelm Tempel of Germany and Horace Parnell Tuttle of the United States, who independently identified the object in 1865.

Orbit and nucleus: TempelTuttle follows a highly elongated, retrograde orbit with a period of about 33 years. Its path carries it from near Earth's orbit to the outer solar system, with a perihelion near 1 astronomical unit. The nucleus is estimated to be a few kilometers in diameter, and the comet exhibits typical outgassing and dust production near perihelion.

Leonid meteor shower: Debris shed by TempelTuttle along its orbit forms the Leonid meteor stream. Each November, Earth passes through this stream, producing the Leonids, a shower known for bright fireballs and periodic storms. Notable displays occurred in 1833 and 1966, which contributed to the shower's prominence in observational astronomy.

Observations and significance: TempelTuttle has been studied through telescopic observations during perihelion and via meteor observations in the Leonids. Its well-determined orbit provides insight into the dynamics of Jupiter-family comets and the behavior of meteoroid streams, making it a reference object in cometary and meteor science.