Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is currently in the constellation of Octans, at a distance of 7,196,689,648 kilometers from Earth.
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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 Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom
- C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) from Earth is currently 7,196,689,648 kilometers, equivalent to 48.106899 Astronomical Units. Light takes 6 hours, 40 minutes and 5.5727 seconds to travel from Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) 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 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) to Earth happens on Mon May 27 2013 at a distance of 34.005886 Astronomical Units, or 5,087,208,201 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1), 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 Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) at epoch 14 September 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459837.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99498100 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 89.28759425° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.89053766 AU 133,222,539 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
353.97623016 AU 52,954,090,417 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
177.43338391 AU 26,543,656,478 km |
| Orbital period | period |
2,363.5305 years 863,279.5035 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1997-Mar-29 15:14:15 2,450,537.1349 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 4360-Oct-27 03:19 3,313,816.6384 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 130.41466706592° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 282.73342139616° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 3.8783863394232° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00041701°/day |
Visualization of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) 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 Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 10 | 23h 11m 54s | -84° 09’ 47” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 11 | 23h 12m 15s | -84° 10’ 46” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 12 | 23h 12m 33s | -84° 11’ 48” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 13 | 23h 12m 51s | -84° 12’ 48” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 14 | 23h 13m 09s | -84° 13’ 50” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 15 | 23h 13m 26s | -84° 14’ 53” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 16 | 23h 13m 41s | -84° 15’ 56” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 17 | 23h 13m 57s | -84° 16’ 59” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 18 | 23h 14m 12s | -84° 18’ 05” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 19 | 23h 14m 26s | -84° 19’ 09” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 20 | 23h 14m 40s | -84° 20’ 13” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 21 | 23h 14m 53s | -84° 21’ 20” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 22 | 23h 15m 06s | -84° 22’ 26” | 19.95 | Octans |
| 2024 May 23 | 23h 15m 17s | -84° 23’ 31” | 19.95 | Octans |