Comet Shoemaker 3, also known as 155P/Shoemaker, is a periodic comet with a 17-year-long orbit around the Sun. It is one of 32 comets discovered by American astronomers, Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker.

Observational history

The comet was discovered from the Palomar Observatory on the night of 10 January 1986. The Shoemakers' discovery was confirmed by Brian A. Skiff from the Lowell Observatory two days later.

A series of possible outbursts occurred from the comet in October 2019, which has raised its maximum brightness to 14.89 during its most recent perihelion.

External links

Numbered comets
Previous 154P/Brewington155P/ShoemakerNext 156P/Russell-LINEAR