34D/Gale

34D/Gale
Discovery
Discovered byWalter Frederick Gale
Discovery dateJune 7, 1927
Designations
1927 L1, 1938 L1
Orbital characteristics
EpochJuly 1, 1938
Aphelion8.7 AU[1]
Perihelion1.18 AU[2]
Semi-major axis4.94 AU
Eccentricity0.76[1]
Orbital period10.99 a
Inclination11.72 °
Next perihelionAugust 2026? (Lost)

Comet Gale is a periodic comet in the Solar System discovered by Walter Frederick Gale (Sydney, Australia) on June 7, 1927.

The second apparition was calculated for 1938, but Gale failed to find it; however, it was recalculated by Leland E. Cunningham who later recovered it for that year.

The 1949 apparition was never detected, and due to unfavourable conditions ever since it has never been recovered and it remains a lost comet.

  1. ^ a b Ley, Willy (September 1968). "Mission to a Comet". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 101–110.
  2. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 34D/Gale". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 1938. Retrieved 2010-02-28.