Comet 17P/Holmes
Comet 17P/Holmes is currently in the constellation of Sextans, at a distance of 734,238,623 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 17P/Holmes from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 17P/Holmes is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 17P/Holmes is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 17P/Holmes is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 17P/Holmes?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 17P/Holmes in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 17P/Holmes Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 17P/Holmes from Earth is currently 734,238,623 kilometers, equivalent to 4.908082 Astronomical Units. Light takes 40 minutes and 49.1564 seconds to travel from Comet 17P/Holmes and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 17P/Holmes 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 17P/Holmes from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 17P/Holmes to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 17P/Holmes to Earth happens on Thu Aug 20 2048 at a distance of 1.146027 Astronomical Units, or 171,443,241 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 17P/Holmes Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 17P/Holmes, 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 17P/Holmes Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 17P/Holmes at epoch 18 October 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457680.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.43015483 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.07035900° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.06632924 AU 309,118,456 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.18591871 AU 775,802,399 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.62612398 AU 542,460,427 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9051 years 2,522.1006 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Mar-26 17:17:14 2,456,743.2203 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Feb-19 19:42 2,459,265.3209 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 24.738508616339° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 326.77380841211° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 133.78558112051° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14273816°/day |
Visualization of Comet 17P/Holmes Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 17P/Holmes with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 17P/Holmes 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 17P/Holmes in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 17P/Holmes 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 17P/Holmes computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 17P/Holmes in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 07 | 10h 12m 01s | +04° 15’ 23” | 23.33 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 08 | 10h 12m 02s | +04° 15’ 15” | 23.34 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 09 | 10h 12m 03s | +04° 15’ 02” | 23.34 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 10 | 10h 12m 06s | +04° 14’ 45” | 23.35 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 11 | 10h 12m 10s | +04° 14’ 26” | 23.36 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 12 | 10h 12m 14s | +04° 14’ 02” | 23.37 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 13 | 10h 12m 18s | +04° 13’ 33” | 23.38 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 14 | 10h 12m 24s | +04° 13’ 01” | 23.38 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 15 | 10h 12m 29s | +04° 12’ 26” | 23.39 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 16 | 10h 12m 36s | +04° 11’ 47” | 23.40 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 17 | 10h 12m 43s | +04° 11’ 03” | 23.41 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 18 | 10h 12m 51s | +04° 10’ 17” | 23.41 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 19 | 10h 13m 00s | +04° 09’ 25” | 23.42 | Sextans |
| 2024 May 20 | 10h 13m 09s | +04° 08’ 31” | 23.43 | Sextans |