Comet 10P/Tempel 2
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius. The current Right Ascension of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is 19h 11m 47s and the Declination is -19° 21’ 03” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is 17.05 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 10P/Tempel 2 [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 10P/Tempel 2 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 13° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 10P/Tempel 2 is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 10P/Tempel 2 rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 10P/Tempel 2 available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 10P/Tempel 2 finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 10P/Tempel 2?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 10P/Tempel 2 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 from Earth is currently 362,726,063 kilometers, equivalent to 2.424674 Astronomical Units. Light takes 20 minutes and 9.9239 seconds to travel from Comet 10P/Tempel 2 and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 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 10P/Tempel 2 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 to Earth happens on Tue Aug 4 2026 at a distance of 0.414484 Astronomical Units, or 62,005,890 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is 17.05.
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 behavior 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.
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 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 10P/Tempel 2 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 at epoch 31 October 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455866.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53627315 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.02422300° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.42180596 AU 212,699,144 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.71027790 AU 704,647,546 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.06604193 AU 458,673,345 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3700 years 1,960.9457 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Jul-04 18:54:58 2,455,382.2882 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2015-Nov-16 17:36 2,457,343.2338 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 195.60778833465° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.8023017705° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 88.893975234062° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18358489°/day |
Visualization of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 Orbit
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 15 Days 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Jan 19 | 18h 47m 29s | -19° 24’ 12” | 17.13 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 20 | 18h 50m 45s | -19° 24’ 30” | 17.12 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 21 | 18h 54m 02s | -19° 24’ 34” | 17.11 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 22 | 18h 57m 20s | -19° 24’ 25” | 17.10 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 23 | 19h 00m 38s | -19° 24’ 02” | 17.08 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 24 | 19h 03m 56s | -19° 23’ 25” | 17.07 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 25 | 19h 07m 15s | -19° 22’ 32” | 17.06 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 26 | 19h 10m 36s | -19° 21’ 27” | 17.05 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 27 | 19h 13m 55s | -19° 20’ 07” | 17.04 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 28 | 19h 17m 17s | -19° 18’ 33” | 17.03 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 29 | 19h 20m 38s | -19° 16’ 44” | 17.01 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 30 | 19h 23m 58s | -19° 14’ 42” | 17.00 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Jan 31 | 19h 27m 20s | -19° 12’ 24” | 16.99 | Sagittarius |
| 2021 Feb 01 | 19h 30m 43s | -19° 09’ 52” | 16.98 | Sagittarius |