periodic comet
noun1
Astronomy, Natural sciences A comet which orbits the Sun and which returns to the innermost point of its orbit at known, regular intervals.
- The computation of the elements of its orbit reveals the fact that they are almost identical with those of Comet III, 1869, and hence it becomes what in astronomical language is called a periodic comet.1880, Lewis Swift, “The New Periodic Comet”, in Science, volume 1, number 21, page 258:
- Comet Temple-Tuttle is what astronomers call a "periodic comet," one of hundreds that routinely and predictably continue to orbit the Sun.2001 November 8, P. Clay Sherrod, Gian Trotta, “A History of the Leonid Storm”, in SPACE.com, retrieved 26 Jan 2016:
- Hypernyms
- comet
- Hyponyms
- long-period comet, short-period comet