Comet 10P/Tempel 2
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
The Observed Magnitude and Coma Diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behvior of comets. When available please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 10P/Tempel 2 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 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 10P/Tempel 2 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 10P/Tempel 2 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 09 | 10h 32m 31s | +14° 58’ 53” | 22.01 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 10h 32m 39s | +15° 00’ 20” | 22.00 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 10h 32m 47s | +15° 01’ 51” | 21.99 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 10h 32m 53s | +15° 03’ 29” | 21.98 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 10h 32m 57s | +15° 05’ 13” | 21.97 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 10h 33m 02s | +15° 07’ 02” | 21.96 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 10h 33m 05s | +15° 08’ 57” | 21.95 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 10h 33m 06s | +15° 10’ 58” | 21.94 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 10h 33m 09s | +15° 13’ 05” | 21.93 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 10h 33m 10s | +15° 15’ 16” | 21.92 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 19 | 10h 33m 09s | +15° 17’ 34” | 21.91 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 20 | 10h 33m 07s | +15° 19’ 58” | 21.90 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 21 | 10h 33m 06s | +15° 22’ 27” | 21.89 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 22 | 10h 33m 02s | +15° 25’ 00” | 21.88 | Leo |
Distance of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 10P/Tempel 2 is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 10P/Tempel 2
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 10P/Tempel 2, 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 10P/Tempel 2 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 at epoch 23 April 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455675.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53631311 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.02286734° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.42213166 AU 212,747,868 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.71188549 AU 704,888,037 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.06700857 AU 458,817,953 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3700 years 1,961.8731 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Jul-04 20:25:50 2,455,382.3513 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2015-Nov-17 17:23 2,457,344.2244 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 195.63073090523° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.80674503691° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 53.79223497923° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18349811°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2026-Aug-04 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.41448108 AU 62,005,486 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.