---
title: "Comet 41P Reverses Spin for the First Time in Science History: Astronomers Record Direction Change"
description: "Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák has completely reversed its rotation direction for the first time in science history after approaching the Sun, astronomers have discovered through a re-analysis of archival Hubble images from 2017."
date: 2026-10-30T06:16:40.655Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/comet-41p-reverses-spin-direction-first-time
tags: [comet-41p, solar-system, astronomy, hubble, rotation-reversal]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Comet 41P Reverses Spin for the First Time in Science History: Astronomers Record Direction Change

![Asteroid or comet in dark space ejecting a bright stream of gas and dust](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/30/kometa-41p-vpervye-v-istorii-izmenila-napravlenie-vrashcheniya/kometa-41p-vpervye-v-istorii-izmenila-napravlenie-vrashcheniya-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák has completely reversed its spin direction for the first time in scientific history
- The anomaly was detected through a re-analysis of December 2017 Hubble images from the Mikulski Archive
- Powerful gas jets acting on a tiny nucleus about 1 km in diameter are believed to be the cause
- Scientists warn that such activity could tear the comet apart into pieces

Astronomers have recorded a phenomenon unique to the Solar System: the periodic comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák has not only slowed its rotation but completely reversed it, beginning to spin in the opposite direction. According to Professor David Jewitt from the University of California, Los Angeles, this is the first scientifically documented case of a comet reversing its spin direction. The discovery was made possible by a re-analysis of archival observations gathered back in 2017.

### How the Spin Reversal Was Discovered

Comet 41P orbits the Sun approximately every five years, and its nucleus has a diameter of just about one kilometer. Following its close approach to the Sun in 2017, ground-based telescopes and the Swift space observatory recorded an anomaly: the comet's rotation abruptly slowed by about threefold. However, the full picture only emerged later when researchers re-examined Hubble Space Telescope images from December 2017 retrieved from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, revealing that the body had not only slowed down but actually spun backward.

### Why It Happened

According to scientists, vigorous gas activity caused the shift. Due to its extremely small size, the nucleus of 41P is highly vulnerable to centrifugal forces: powerful jets of gas and dust create an asymmetric "jet" effect capable of restructuring the body's rotation. Researchers believe that such activity and the resulting spin reversal could eventually tear the icy body apart, turning it into a debris field.

### Three Independent Discoveries

The comet has an unconventional background. It was independently discovered three times: by Horace Tuttle in 1858, Michel Giacobini in 1907, and Lubor Kresák in 1951. Observers later correlated these findings and unified them into a single orbit, giving the object its modern triple name. Thus, a body known to science for nearly a century and a half continues to provide groundbreaking data.

### Significance for Science

Currently, 41P provides astronomers with a rare opportunity to study how internal activity destabilizes small bodies in the Solar System and why some of them ultimately self-destruct during their journeys through the planetary system. The recorded spin reversal serves as a vivid example that even seemingly "calm" comets can undergo drastic dynamic changes when approaching a star.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Впервые в истории: комета изменила направление вращения после сближения с Солнцем](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/upershe-istoriyi-kometa-zminila-napryamok-1793286828.html) - Primary source: 41P spin reversal, Swift and 2017 Hubble archive data, quote from Professor Jewitt (UCLA), discovery history of 1858/1907/1951.
- [Комета впервые в истории изменила направление обращения: ученые нашли объяснение](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kometa-vpershe-istoriyi-zminila-napryamok-1785420361.html) - Confirms the same fact of rotation direction change and its explanation via core activity; facts match the primary source.

## FAQ

### What happened to comet 41P?

Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák dramatically slowed its rotation after approaching the Sun and completely reversed its direction — the first such case ever recorded in scientific history.

### How was this discovered?

Ground-based telescopes and the Swift observatory first recorded a threefold slowdown in rotation in 2017, while a re-examination of December 2017 Hubble images from the Mikulski Archive revealed the direction change.

### Why did this happen?

Scientists attribute this to powerful gas outbursts: due to the small diameter of the nucleus (about 1 km), it is vulnerable to centrifugal forces, and asymmetric activity restructured its rotation.

### Could the comet break apart?

Yes, researchers believe that vigorous activity and the spin reversal could ultimately tear the icy body apart.