Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8
Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is currently in the constellation of Capricornus. The current Right Ascension of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is 20h 26m 29s and the Declination is -14° 25’ 50” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is 18.49 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 [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]:
- 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 from Earth is currently 614,262,702 kilometers, equivalent to 4.106093 Astronomical Units. Light takes 34 minutes and 8.9598 seconds to travel from Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 to Earth happens on Sat May 28 2022 at a distance of 1.686005 Astronomical Units, or 252,222,725 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 is 18.49.
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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8, 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 at epoch 20 February 1997 00:00 UTC (JD: 2450500.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.29022851 |
Orbit inclination | i | 6.05058089° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.71688981 AU 406,440,931 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
4.93878488 AU 738,831,704 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.82783735 AU 572,636,317 km |
Orbital period | period |
7.4893 years 2,735.4491 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1999-Dec-10 12:02:32 2,451,523.0018 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2007-Jun-06 22:49 2,454,258.4509 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 22.698033610268° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 213.36198304826° |
Mean anomaly | M | 225.43319859875° |
Mean motion | n | 0.13160545°/day |
Visualization of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 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 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 135P/Shoemaker-Levy 8 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 Jan 24 | 20h 15m 23s | -15° 04’ 37” | 18.44 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 25 | 20h 16m 56s | -14° 59’ 21” | 18.45 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 26 | 20h 18m 29s | -14° 54’ 02” | 18.46 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 27 | 20h 20m 03s | -14° 48’ 38” | 18.46 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 28 | 20h 21m 37s | -14° 43’ 13” | 18.47 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 29 | 20h 23m 09s | -14° 37’ 44” | 18.48 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 30 | 20h 24m 42s | -14° 32’ 12” | 18.49 | Capricornus |
2023 Jan 31 | 20h 26m 16s | -14° 26’ 36” | 18.49 | Capricornus |
2023 Feb 01 | 20h 27m 47s | -14° 20’ 59” | 18.50 | Capricornus |
2023 Feb 02 | 20h 29m 20s | -14° 15’ 20” | 18.51 | Capricornus |
2023 Feb 03 | 20h 30m 51s | -14° 09’ 36” | 18.51 | Capricornus |
2023 Feb 04 | 20h 32m 23s | -14° 03’ 51” | 18.52 | Capricornus |
2023 Feb 05 | 20h 33m 55s | -13° 58’ 01” | 18.52 | Capricornus |
2023 Feb 06 | 20h 35m 26s | -13° 52’ 10” | 18.53 | Capricornus |