103P/Hartley

Author(s): Greg Frieger FarGetaNik

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103P/Hartley, also known as Hartley 2, is a Jupiter-family comet orbiting the Sun once every 6.46 years. At 1.6 km in diameter, it is currently the smallest comet ever visited when the Deep Impact spacecraft flew past it in 2010 after its initial target, the comet 85D/Boethin, is declared lost.

The orbits of 103P/Hartley between 1900 and 2200, with its current position (as of 2025) marked in green

The nucleus of 103P/Hartley as seen by Deep Impact on 2010-Nov-4

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