Which two astronomers independently discovered Comet Swift–Tuttle, source of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower?

Lewis Swift and Horace Parnell Tuttle independently discovered Comet Swift–Tuttle, the source of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower.

Swift found the comet on July 16, 1862, from New York State. Tuttle independently observed it three days later, on July 19, from Harvard College Observatory. Their separate observations led to the comet receiving both surnames.

The discovery was important because the comet’s orbit could be connected with the annual August meteors later known as the Perseids. Once astronomers recognized that Earth was passing through material released by the comet, the shower’s recurring appearance had a physical explanation.

The two names are sometimes confused with later researchers. Tsuruhiko Kiuchi rediscovered the comet during its 1992 return, while Brian Marsden helped refine its historical orbit. Neither was one of the original 1862 discoverers. Swift–Tuttle’s 1862 discovery also explains why the comet is not named after only one observer.