63P/Wild
comet
63P/Wild is a Jupiter-family comet roughly 3 km in diameter with a 13.5-year orbit around the Sun. The comet reached perihelion on 6 July 2026.
Observational history
It was first detected by Paul Wild at the Zimmerwald Observatory of the Astronomical Institute of Bern, Switzerland on a photographic plate exposed on 26 March 1960, who estimated its brightness at a magnitude of 14.3. Its elliptical orbit was then calculated to have an orbital period of 13.17 years.
Its predicted reappearance in 1973 was observed by Elizabeth Roemer of the U.S. Naval Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona at a magnitude of 17.5. Although not found in 1986 it was rediscovered in 1999 with a magnitude of around 12. The 2013 return was moderately favourable with magnitude again around 12.
Physical characteristics
The nucleus of the comet has a diameter of 2.92 km (1.81 mi), assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04.
“63P/Wild” enters the record as comet. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Wild and comet can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“63P/Wild” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Wild and comet provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4178784. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2026, 1960, 1973 and 1986.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “63P/Wild”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 63P/Wild primary sources, 63P/Wild archive and Wild research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “63P/Wild”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “63P/Wild” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.