169P/NEAT
{{Short description|Periodic comet with 4 year orbit}}
{{For|other comets discovered by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking survey|Comet NEAT (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox comet
| name=169P/NEAT
| image=
| discoverer=NEAT
| discovery_date=March 15, 2002
| designations={{mp|P/2002 EX|12}}
| epoch=2022-08-09 (2459800.5)
| semimajor=2.6021 AU
| perihelion=0.60282 AU
| aphelion=4.6014 AU
| eccentricity=0.76833
| period=4.1975 yr
| inclination= 11.2985°
| last_p=2018 April 29
2014 February 15
2009 November 30
}}
169/NEAT is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It is the parent body of the alpha Capricornids meteor shower in Late July. 169/NEAT may be related to comet P/2003 T12 (SOHO).[https://archive.today/20140531163229/https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mpml/conversations/topics/29117 169P NEAT and P/2003 T12 - 300 years ago]{{cite journal |last1=Alvarez |first1=Santiago Roland |last2=Oyarzabal |first2=Andrea Sosa |title=Comet P/2003 T12 (SOHO): A possible fragment of comet 169P/NEAT? |journal=Planetary and Space Science |date=July 2024 |volume=246 |pages=105902 |doi=10.1016/j.pss.2024.105902}} 169P is a low activity comet roughly a few kilometers in diameter. It could have originated from the main asteroid belt.
It last came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 9 July 2022. On 13 July 2022 passed {{Convert|0.1395|AU|e6km|abbr=unit|lk=on}} from Venus. On 11 August 2026 it will pass {{Convert|0.1672|AU|e6km|abbr=unit}} from Earth and then come to perihelion on 21 September 2026.
169P has a similar stable orbit with the smaller body P/2003 T12 (SOHO), both avoiding close encounters with Jupiter. It is possible that both comets likely fragmented from a parent body a bit over 2000 years ago. A further fragmentation even about 4,500 to 5,000 years ago could have produced the meteors of the alpha Capricornids meteor shower. The total estimated mass of the meteors is similar to that of the surviving comet.{{cite journal |last1=Jenniskens |first1=P. |last2=Vaubaillon |first2=J. |title=MINOR PLANET 2002 EX 12 (=169P/NEAT) AND THE ALPHA CAPRICORNID SHOWER |journal=The Astronomical Journal |date=1 May 2010 |volume=139 |issue=5 |pages=1822–1830 |doi=10.1088/0004-6256/139/5/1822}}
References
{{reflist|refs =
|title=169P/NEAT Orbit
|url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=169P
|publisher=Minor Planet Center
|access-date=2014-06-02}}
|type=last observation: 2022-06-07
|title=JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 169P/NEAT
|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=169P&view=OPC
|publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory
|accessdate=2022-06-22}}
|last1=Sosa |first1=Andrea
|last2=Fernández |first2=Julio Angel
|last3=Fitzsimmons |first3=Alan
|title=Comets 169P/NEAT and P/2003 T12 (SOHO): Two possible fragments of a common ancestor?
|journal=American Astronomical Society
|year=2015
|volume=29
|bibcode=2015IAUGA..2255583S}}
|date=2011-10-29
|title=169P/NEAT (NK 2135)
|publisher=OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections
|author=Syuichi Nakano
|author-link=Syuichi Nakano
|url=http://www.oaa.gr.jp/~oaacs/nk/nk2135.htm
|access-date=2012-02-25}}
}}