Comet 13P/Olbers
Comet 13P/Olbers is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 13P/Olbers is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 13P/Olbers?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 13P/Olbers in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
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 13P/Olbers from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 13P/Olbers is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 1.90° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 13P/Olbers is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 13P/Olbers from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 13P/Olbers 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 13P/Olbers 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 13P/Olbers to Earth happens on Sun Jan 10 2094 at a distance of 0.735355 Astronomical Units, or 110,007,602 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 13P/Olbers, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 13P/Olbers at epoch 21 June 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459022.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.92972572 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 44.62577273° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.17155434 AU 175,262,035 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
32.17078192 AU 4,812,680,484 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
16.67116813 AU 2,493,971,259 km |
| Orbital period | period |
68.0702 years 24,862.6533 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Jun-30 17:24:01 2,460,492.2250 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2092-Jul-26 09:04 2,485,354.8783 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 64.558812927493° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 85.846441572952° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 338.71904500873° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.01447955°/day |
View Comet 13P/Olbers in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 13P/Olbers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 16 | 18h 35m 34s | -25° 52’ 10” | 20.77 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 17 | 18h 34m 51s | -25° 57’ 52” | 20.79 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 18 | 18h 34m 07s | -26° 03’ 32” | 20.81 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 19 | 18h 33m 22s | -26° 09’ 12” | 20.82 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 20 | 18h 32m 36s | -26° 14’ 50” | 20.84 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 21 | 18h 31m 50s | -26° 20’ 29” | 20.86 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 22 | 18h 31m 02s | -26° 26’ 06” | 20.88 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 23 | 18h 30m 13s | -26° 31’ 43” | 20.90 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 24 | 18h 29m 24s | -26° 37’ 16” | 20.91 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 25 | 18h 28m 34s | -26° 42’ 50” | 20.93 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 26 | 18h 27m 44s | -26° 48’ 21” | 20.95 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 27 | 18h 26m 52s | -26° 53’ 51” | 20.97 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 28 | 18h 26m 00s | -26° 59’ 19” | 20.99 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 29 | 18h 25m 06s | -27° 04’ 45” | 21.01 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 13P/Olbers: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 13P/Olbers?: Key information on locating Comet 13P/Olbers in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 13P/Olbers is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 13P/Olbers?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 13P/Olbers's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 13P/Olbers's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 13P/Olbers's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 13P/Olbers orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 13P/Olbers with respect to the major Solar System objects.