Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS
Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is in the constellation of
Dorado,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is not visible from Greenwich, UK
- 161P/Hartley-IRAS is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 161P/Hartley-IRAS is visible only through long exposure photography.
- 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS to Earth happens on Fri Oct 2 2026 at a distance of 0.505482 Astronomical Units, or 75,618,969 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS, 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS at epoch 03 July 2004 00:00 UTC (JD: 2453190.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.83508810 |
Orbit inclination | i | 95.69805020° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.27482939 AU 190,711,762 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
14.18590285 AU 2,122,180,865 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
7.73036612 AU 1,156,446,313 km |
Orbital period | period |
21.4936 years 7,850.5218 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2005-Jun-20 20:24:46 2,453,542.3505 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2026-Dec-18 08:56 2,461,392.8723 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 47.091452375467° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 1.3981653712267° |
Mean anomaly | M | 343.86525171541° |
Mean motion | n | 0.04585682°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 Feb 05 | 05h 13m 32s | -66° 37’ 47” | 24.65 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 06 | 05h 12m 14s | -66° 29’ 30” | 24.65 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 07 | 05h 10m 58s | -66° 21’ 04” | 24.64 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 08 | 05h 09m 42s | -66° 12’ 30” | 24.63 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 09 | 05h 08m 30s | -66° 03’ 50” | 24.63 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 10 | 05h 07m 20s | -65° 55’ 01” | 24.62 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 11 | 05h 06m 12s | -65° 46’ 05” | 24.61 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 12 | 05h 05m 06s | -65° 37’ 02” | 24.61 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 13 | 05h 04m 02s | -65° 27’ 53” | 24.60 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 14 | 05h 03m 01s | -65° 18’ 37” | 24.59 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 15 | 05h 02m 01s | -65° 09’ 16” | 24.59 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 16 | 05h 01m 04s | -64° 59’ 49” | 24.58 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 17 | 05h 00m 08s | -64° 50’ 16” | 24.57 | Dorado |
2025 Feb 18 | 04h 59m 15s | -64° 40’ 38” | 24.57 | Dorado |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS from Earth?)
- When does Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.