Comet 17P/Holmes
Comet 17P/Holmes Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 17P/Holmes is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 17P/Holmes Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 17P/Holmes rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 17P/Holmes Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 17P/Holmes with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 17P/Holmes 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 17P/Holmes in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 17P/Holmes Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 17P/Holmes computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 17P/Holmes in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Oct 10 | 12h 40m 33s | -17° 38’ 21” | 20.67 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 11 | 12h 41m 26s | -17° 44’ 35” | 20.66 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 12 | 12h 42m 18s | -17° 50’ 52” | 20.66 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 13 | 12h 43m 09s | -17° 57’ 10” | 20.66 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 14 | 12h 44m 02s | -18° 03’ 29” | 20.66 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 15 | 12h 44m 53s | -18° 09’ 50” | 20.65 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 16 | 12h 45m 46s | -18° 16’ 11” | 20.65 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 17 | 12h 46m 37s | -18° 22’ 35” | 20.65 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 18 | 12h 47m 30s | -18° 28’ 59” | 20.65 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 19 | 12h 48m 21s | -18° 35’ 25” | 20.64 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 20 | 12h 49m 14s | -18° 41’ 52” | 20.64 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 21 | 12h 50m 06s | -18° 48’ 20” | 20.64 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 22 | 12h 50m 57s | -18° 54’ 48” | 20.63 | Corvus |
| 2018 Oct 23 | 12h 51m 50s | -19° 01’ 18” | 20.63 | Corvus |
Distance of Comet 17P/Holmes from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 17P/Holmes from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 17P/Holmes is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 17P/Holmes
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 17P/Holmes, 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 17P/Holmes Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 17P/Holmes at epoch 16 January 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455213.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.43287584 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.11426464° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.05337899 AU 307,181,125 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.18799469 AU 776,112,960 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.62068684 AU 541,647,043 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.8900 years 2,516.4301 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2007-May-05 00:40:56 2,454,225.5284 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2014-Mar-25 11:00 2,456,741.9585 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 24.351852593229° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 326.85321508915° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 141.33902074188° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14305981°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2048-Aug-20 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.14829316 AU 171,782,212 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.