| 18D/Perrine–Mrkos | |
| Discoverer: | Charles Dillon Perrine & Antonín Mrkos |
| Discovery Date: | December 9, 1896 |
| Designations: | 1896 X1; 1896 VII; 1896g; 1909 P1; 1909 III; 1909b; 1955 U1; 1955 VII; 1955i; 1962 I; 1961h; 1968 VIII; 1968h |
| Epoch: | 2002-09-03 (JD 2452520.5) |
| Semimajor: | 3.5705 AU |
| Perihelion: | 1.2872 AU |
| Aphelion: | 5.8537 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.6395 |
| Period: | 6.75 a |
| Inclination: | 17.864° |
| Last P: | 2017 Feb. 26? (unobserved) |
| Next P: | ≈2025-Jan-01? (Lost since 1969) |
18D/Perrine–Mrkos is a periodic comet in the Solar System, originally discovered by the American-Argentine astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine (Lick Observatory, California, United States) on December 9, 1896. For some time it was thought to be a fragment of Biela's Comet.
It was considered lost after the 1909 appearance, but was rediscovered by the Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos (Skalnate Pleso Observatory, Slovakia) on October 19, 1955, using ordinary binoculars, it was later confirmed as 18D by Leland E. Cunningham (Leuschner Observatory, University of California, Berkeley).
The comet was last observed during the 1968 perihelion passage when it passed 0.3144abbr=onNaNabbr=on from the Earth. The comet has not been observed during the following perihelion passages:
The next predicted perihelion passage would be on 2025-Jan-01 but the comet is currently considered lost as it has not been seen since Jan 1969.