Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet 17P/Holmes in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet 17P/Holmes
Comet 17P/Holmes is in the constellation of Crater, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 17P/Holmes in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet 17P/Holmes against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial 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
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet 17P/Holmes from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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 17P/Holmes from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet 17P/Holmes from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 17P/Holmes from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet 17P/Holmes to Earth will happen on Thursday 20 August 2048 at a distance of 1.146026 Astronomical Units, or 171,443,013 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet 17P/Holmes, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet 17P/Holmes at epoch October, 18 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457680.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.43015482 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.07035853° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.06632925 AU 309,118,457 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.18591870 AU 775,802,397 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.62612398 AU 542,460,427 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9051 years 2,522.1006 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | March 26, 2014 2,456,743.2203 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | February 19, 2021 2,459,265.3209 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 24.738506005017° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 326.77381045426° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 133.78558143669° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14273816°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet 17P/Holmes relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet 17P/Holmes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 07 2025 | 11h 37m 49s | -11° 56’ 14” | 23.17 | Crater |
| Jul 08 2025 | 11h 38m 16s | -11° 57’ 42” | 23.17 | Crater |
| Jul 09 2025 | 11h 38m 44s | -11° 59’ 14” | 23.18 | Crater |
| Jul 10 2025 | 11h 39m 12s | -12° 00’ 51” | 23.18 | Crater |
| Jul 11 2025 | 11h 39m 41s | -12° 02’ 33” | 23.18 | Crater |
| Jul 12 2025 | 11h 40m 11s | -12° 04’ 20” | 23.19 | Crater |
| Jul 13 2025 | 11h 40m 41s | -12° 06’ 10” | 23.19 | Crater |
| Jul 14 2025 | 11h 41m 11s | -12° 08’ 04” | 23.19 | Crater |
| Jul 15 2025 | 11h 41m 42s | -12° 10’ 03” | 23.20 | Crater |
| Jul 16 2025 | 11h 42m 13s | -12° 12’ 06” | 23.20 | Crater |
| Jul 17 2025 | 11h 42m 45s | -12° 14’ 14” | 23.20 | Crater |
| Jul 18 2025 | 11h 43m 17s | -12° 16’ 25” | 23.20 | Crater |
| Jul 19 2025 | 11h 43m 50s | -12° 18’ 41” | 23.21 | Crater |
| Jul 20 2025 | 11h 44m 23s | -12° 21’ 01” | 23.21 | Crater |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 17P/Holmes: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet 17P/Holmes?: Key information on where to find comet 17P/Holmes in the sky.
- Distance of comet 17P/Holmes from Earth: Find out how far comet 17P/Holmes is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet 17P/Holmes?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet 17P/Holmes from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet 17P/Holmes's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet 17P/Holmes's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet 17P/Holmes's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet 17P/Holmes orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet 17P/Holmes with respect to the major Solar System objects.