103P/Hartley 2

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Jupiter-family Comet
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest (1.60 km diameter)
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

103P/Hartley 2 is a mid-sized comet whose orbit features a relatively short period, low inclination, and is controlled by Jupiter's gravitational effects. NASA JPL has classified 103P/Hartley 2 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

103P/Hartley 2 orbits the sun every 2,360 days (6.46 years), coming as close as 1.06 AU and reaching as far as 5.88 AU from the sun. 103P/Hartley 2 is about 1.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 103P/Hartley 2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 18.10 hours.

No Close Approaches

103P/Hartley 2's orbit is 0.07 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

103P/Hartley 2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 20, 2004. It was last officially observed on Aug. 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 6,565 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This comet is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 103P/Hartley 2:

• 87 Sylvia (A866 KA)
• 10257 Garecynthia (4333 T-3)
• 20664 Senec (1999 UV4)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 103P/Hartley 2 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 103P/Hartley 2 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.