A periodic comet discovered in 1986 May by the American amateur astronomer Donald Edward Machholz (1952– ). It is thought to be the parent of the Kracht and Marsden groups of comets, and fragmentation continues: at its perihelion in 2012 two smaller objects were seen ahead of Comet Machholz, evidently having broken off at its previous perihelion. Its orbit has a period of 5.28 years, perihelion 0.12 au, aphelion 5.94 au, and inclination 58°.3. Its nucleus has an estimated diameter of 6.4 km.

http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html Information page at Cometography website.