P/2010 B2 (WISE)

P/2010 B2 (WISE)

Discovery
Discovered by	WISE
Discovery date	January 22, 2010
Alternative designations	P/2010 B2
Orbital characteristics ^A
Epoch	January 4, 2010
Perihelion	1.6069719 AU
Semi-major axis	2.9932709 AU
Eccentricity	0.4631385
Orbital period	5.18 a
Inclination	8.88973°

P/2010 B2 is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It is the first comet discovered by the space observatory WISE and was first observed on January 22, 2010^[1] and has since been followed by ground observatories, among them the Mauna Kea Observatory.^[2]

The comet has an orbital period of 4.7 years, an aphelion of 4 astronomical units and a perihelion of 1.6 astronomical units.^[3]

References

1. "MPEC 2010-C23 : COMET P/2010 B2 (WISE)". February 8, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
2. Lakdawalla, Emily (February 8, 2010). "WISE has found its first comet, P/2010 B2 (WISE)". Retrieved February 11, 2010.
3. "Comet Discovered by New NASA Observatory". February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.