Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Nov 08 | 15h 37m 35s | -20° 03’ 12” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 09 | 15h 37m 46s | -20° 03’ 47” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 10 | 15h 37m 58s | -20° 04’ 21” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 11 | 15h 38m 09s | -20° 04’ 55” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 12 | 15h 38m 21s | -20° 05’ 30” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 13 | 15h 38m 33s | -20° 06’ 03” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 14 | 15h 38m 44s | -20° 06’ 38” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 15 | 15h 38m 56s | -20° 07’ 13” | 48.43 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 16 | 15h 39m 07s | -20° 07’ 47” | 48.42 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 17 | 15h 39m 19s | -20° 08’ 21” | 48.42 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 18 | 15h 39m 30s | -20° 08’ 57” | 48.42 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 19 | 15h 39m 42s | -20° 09’ 32” | 48.42 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 20 | 15h 39m 53s | -20° 10’ 05” | 48.42 | Libra |
| 2018 Nov 21 | 15h 40m 05s | -20° 10’ 41” | 48.42 | Libra |
Distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle at epoch 14 August 1998 00:00 UTC (JD: 2451040.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.90555272 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 162.48657538° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.97642792 AU 146,071,537 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
19.70024854 AU 2,947,115,240 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
10.33833823 AU 1,546,593,389 km |
| Orbital period | period |
33.2400 years 12,141.5612 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1998-Feb-28 02:20:44 2,450,872.5977 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2031-May-27 15:48 2,463,014.1589 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.50027368281° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 235.27098914908° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 4.9783396846882° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.02965022°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2065-Jan-25 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.40427035 AU 60,477,984 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.