Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy

Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is currently in the constellation of Virgo.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is 12h 41m 54s and the Declination is -04° 48’ 21” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is 20.28 (JPL).

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 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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Available Resources

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Earth?)
• When does Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy in the sky from your location.
• Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

Also check out Where is Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Earth is currently 671,595,105 kilometers, equivalent to 4.489336 Astronomical Units. Light takes 37 minutes and 20.2001 seconds to travel from Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy and arrive to us.

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 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 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy to Earth happens on Fri Dec 24 2004 at a distance of 1.946997 Astronomical Units, or 291,266,666 kilometers:

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy, 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.

Visualization of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 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!

Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date	Right AscensionR.A.	DeclinationDec.	MagnitudeMag	Constellation
2023 Nov 23	12h 35m 08s	-04° 08’ 09”	20.33	Virgo
2023 Nov 24	12h 36m 02s	-04° 13’ 35”	20.32	Virgo
2023 Nov 25	12h 36m 56s	-04° 18’ 56”	20.31	Virgo
2023 Nov 26	12h 37m 50s	-04° 24’ 15”	20.31	Virgo
2023 Nov 27	12h 38m 43s	-04° 29’ 32”	20.30	Virgo
2023 Nov 28	12h 39m 36s	-04° 34’ 46”	20.30	Virgo
2023 Nov 29	12h 40m 28s	-04° 39’ 57”	20.29	Virgo
2023 Nov 30	12h 41m 21s	-04° 45’ 06”	20.29	Virgo
2023 Dec 01	12h 42m 12s	-04° 50’ 11”	20.28	Virgo
2023 Dec 02	12h 43m 04s	-04° 55’ 13”	20.28	Virgo
2023 Dec 03	12h 43m 54s	-05° 00’ 11”	20.27	Virgo
2023 Dec 04	12h 44m 44s	-05° 05’ 07”	20.26	Virgo
2023 Dec 05	12h 45m 34s	-05° 10’ 00”	20.26	Virgo
2023 Dec 06	12h 46m 24s	-05° 14’ 49”	20.25	Virgo