Encke
The comet with the shortest known orbital period (about 3.3 years) and the parent of the Taurid meteor stream.
Imagery
MESSENGER First Images of Comets Encke and ISON
As comets C/2012 S1 ISON and the well-known short-period comet 2P/Encke both approached their closest distances to the Sun in November, 2013, they also passed close to the MESSENGER spacecraft orbiting the innermost pla…
2013
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/Southwest Research Institute · NASA media (public domain)
Orbit & physical parameters
Osculating orbit and physical parameters from the NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Encke-type Comet · near-Earth · epoch 2022-09-25 (JD 2459847.5 TDB) · Earth MOID 0.167006 au
| Semi-major axis | 2.219689 ± 1.3789e-7 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Eccentricity | 0.84775 ± 2.2167e-7 | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Perihelion distance | 0.337948 ± 5.1128e-7 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Aphelion distance | 4.101429 ± 2.5479e-7 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Inclination | 11.412278 ± 2.0828e-5 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Longitude of ascending node | 334.193585 ± 5.5421e-5 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Argument of perihelion | 187.134246 ± 5.6231e-5 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Orbital period | 1,208 ± 0.000113 d | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Diameter | 4.8 km | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Geometric albedo | 0.046 ± 0.023 | NASA JPL · estimated |
| Rotation period | 11.083 h | NASA JPL · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- Semi-major axis: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · a · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Eccentricity: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · e · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Perihelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · q · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Aphelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · ad · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Inclination: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · i · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Longitude of ascending node: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · om · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Argument of perihelion: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · w · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Orbital period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · per · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Diameter: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.diameter · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Geometric albedo: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.albedo · Bayesian estimate · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Rotation period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.rot_per · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 640 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
Orbital elements are a calculated JPL orbit-determination fit, all referred to the single osculating epoch above (solution by Davide Farnocchia); each carries its own uncertainty. Fields the database did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Classification & origin
Knowledge connections
- Member of groupJupiter-Family Comets
- Source reservoirScattered Disc
- Source of meteor showerTaurids
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.