Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is currently in the constellation of Libra, at a distance of 2,110,263,393 kilometers from Earth.
View interactive star map
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South direction at an altitude of 23° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth is currently 2,110,263,393 kilometers, equivalent to 14.106240 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 57 minutes and 19.0810 seconds to travel from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle to Earth happens on Sun Jan 25 2065 at a distance of 0.404270 Astronomical Units, or 60,477,952 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle at epoch 14 August 1998 00:00 UTC (JD: 2451040.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.90555272 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 162.48657538° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.97642792 AU 146,071,537 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
19.70024854 AU 2,947,115,240 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
10.33833823 AU 1,546,593,389 km |
| Orbital period | period |
33.2418 years 12,141.5612 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1998-Feb-28 02:20:44 2,450,872.5977 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2031-May-27 15:48 2,463,014.1589 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.50027368281° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 235.27098914908° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 4.9783396846882° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.02965022°/day |
Visualization of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 10 | 15h 07m 36s | -15° 14’ 21” | 45.24 | Libra |
| 2024 May 11 | 15h 07m 18s | -15° 13’ 01” | 45.24 | Libra |
| 2024 May 12 | 15h 07m 00s | -15° 11’ 42” | 45.24 | Libra |
| 2024 May 13 | 15h 06m 42s | -15° 10’ 22” | 45.24 | Libra |
| 2024 May 14 | 15h 06m 24s | -15° 09’ 02” | 45.23 | Libra |
| 2024 May 15 | 15h 06m 06s | -15° 07’ 41” | 45.23 | Libra |
| 2024 May 16 | 15h 05m 48s | -15° 06’ 23” | 45.23 | Libra |
| 2024 May 17 | 15h 05m 30s | -15° 05’ 03” | 45.23 | Libra |
| 2024 May 18 | 15h 05m 12s | -15° 03’ 43” | 45.23 | Libra |
| 2024 May 19 | 15h 04m 54s | -15° 02’ 26” | 45.22 | Libra |
| 2024 May 20 | 15h 04m 37s | -15° 01’ 06” | 45.22 | Libra |
| 2024 May 21 | 15h 04m 19s | -14° 59’ 48” | 45.22 | Libra |
| 2024 May 22 | 15h 04m 03s | -14° 58’ 31” | 45.22 | Libra |
| 2024 May 23 | 15h 03m 44s | -14° 57’ 12” | 45.22 | Libra |