Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is in the constellation of
Libra,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle to Earth happens on Sun Jan 25 2065 at a distance of 0.404270 Astronomical Units, or 60,477,952 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 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.
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 |
33.2418 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 |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days 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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sep 01 | 14h 52m 24s | -14° 09’ 55” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 02 | 14h 52m 29s | -14° 10’ 19” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 03 | 14h 52m 34s | -14° 10’ 44” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 04 | 14h 52m 39s | -14° 11’ 10” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 05 | 14h 52m 45s | -14° 11’ 37” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 06 | 14h 52m 51s | -14° 12’ 04” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 07 | 14h 52m 57s | -14° 12’ 32” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 08 | 14h 53m 03s | -14° 13’ 02” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 09 | 14h 53m 10s | -14° 13’ 32” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 10 | 14h 53m 17s | -14° 14’ 03” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 11 | 14h 53m 24s | -14° 14’ 35” | 45.16 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 12 | 14h 53m 31s | -14° 15’ 07” | 45.15 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 13 | 14h 53m 38s | -14° 15’ 41” | 45.15 | Libra |
| 2024 Sep 14 | 14h 53m 46s | -14° 16’ 15” | 45.15 | Libra |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth?)
- When does Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.