One of several comets to carry the name of their discoverer Wilhelm Tempel, and not to be confused with 10P/Tempel or Comet Tempel 2. A close approach to Jupiter in 1881 caused this comet'sorbit to change, and it was lost to observers for nearly ninety years before being rediscovered. It has since become one of the most closely studied comets in the Solar System, and its surface has been imaged in extreme detail.
