Comet 103P/Hartley
Comet 103P/Hartley is in the constellation of
Leo,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 103P/Hartley from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 103P/Hartley is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 28.84° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 103P/Hartley 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 103P/Hartley is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 103P/Hartley?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 103P/Hartley in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 103P/Hartley from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 103P/Hartley 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 103P/Hartley from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 103P/Hartley to Earth happens on Thu Oct 21 2010 at a distance of 0.120883 Astronomical Units, or 18,083,776 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 103P/Hartley, 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.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 103P/Hartley computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sep 04 | 11h 21m 18s | -03° 57’ 26” | 21.56 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 05 | 11h 22m 28s | -04° 03’ 51” | 21.57 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 06 | 11h 23m 37s | -04° 10’ 17” | 21.57 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 07 | 11h 24m 46s | -04° 16’ 43” | 21.58 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 08 | 11h 25m 54s | -04° 23’ 10” | 21.59 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 09 | 11h 27m 03s | -04° 29’ 38” | 21.60 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 10 | 11h 28m 11s | -04° 36’ 05” | 21.60 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 11 | 11h 29m 20s | -04° 42’ 32” | 21.61 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 12 | 11h 30m 28s | -04° 49’ 01” | 21.62 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 13 | 11h 31m 36s | -04° 55’ 29” | 21.63 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 14 | 11h 32m 43s | -05° 01’ 58” | 21.63 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 15 | 11h 33m 51s | -05° 08’ 27” | 21.64 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 16 | 11h 34m 58s | -05° 14’ 56” | 21.65 | Leo |
| 2024 Sep 17 | 11h 36m 05s | -05° 21’ 25” | 21.65 | Leo |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 103P/Hartley?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 103P/Hartley from Earth?)
- When does Comet 103P/Hartley rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 103P/Hartley?)
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 103P/Hartley for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 103P/Hartley in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 103P/Hartley with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.