Who rediscovered Comet Swift–Tuttle in 1992, the parent comet of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower?

Tsuruhiko Kiuchi rediscovered Comet Swift–Tuttle in 1992, the parent comet of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower.

Swift–Tuttle had first been seen in 1862, but it was not observed during every later return. Its long orbit and uncertain historical observations made recovering it especially valuable. Japanese astronomer Tsuruhiko Kiuchi found it again during its 1992 return, confirming that the predicted comet and the Perseid source were the same object.

The rediscovery improved calculations of the comet’s orbit and its future positions. It also coincided with strong Perseid activity around 1991, 1992, and 1993, when observers recorded rates of several hundred meteors per hour in some circumstances.

Kiuchi is therefore associated with the comet’s recovery, not its original discovery. Lewis Swift and Horace Parnell Tuttle independently discovered it in 1862. The comet became visible with binoculars during the 1992 apparition, while its next predicted bright return is expected in 2126.