Comet 8P/Tuttle
Comet 8P/Tuttle is currently in the constellation of Ara. The current Right Ascension of Comet 8P/Tuttle is 16h 37m 08s and the Declination is -54° 56’ 41” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 8P/Tuttle is 19.01 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 8P/Tuttle [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 8P/Tuttle is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, 8P/Tuttle is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 8P/Tuttle rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 8P/Tuttle available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 8P/Tuttle Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 8P/Tuttle finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 8P/Tuttle is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 8P/Tuttle?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 8P/Tuttle in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 8P/Tuttle Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 8P/Tuttle from Earth is currently 377,235,596 kilometers, equivalent to 2.521664 Astronomical Units. Light takes 20 minutes and 58.3225 seconds to travel from Comet 8P/Tuttle and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 8P/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 8P/Tuttle from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 8P/Tuttle to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 8P/Tuttle to Earth happens on Mon Dec 28 2048 at a distance of 0.175435 Astronomical Units, or 26,244,696 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 8P/Tuttle brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 8P/Tuttle is 19.01.
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 behavior 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 8P/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 8P/Tuttle rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet 8P/Tuttle is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 8P/Tuttle touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 8P/Tuttle Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 8P/Tuttle at epoch 22 August 2008 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454701.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.81978762 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 54.98196883° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.02726309 AU 153,676,372 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
10.37331963 AU 1,551,826,532 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
5.70029136 AU 852,751,452 km |
| Orbital period | period |
13.6099 years 4,971.0028 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2008-Jan-27 00:25:56 2,454,492.5180 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Sep-06 00:29 2,459,463.5208 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 207.51151750851° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 270.34216157066° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 15.13447433004° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.07242000°/day |
Visualization of Comet 8P/Tuttle Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 8P/Tuttle with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 8P/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 8P/Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 8P/Tuttle 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 8P/Tuttle computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 8P/Tuttle in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 May 19 | 16h 51m 41s | -56° 00’ 20” | 18.94 | Ara |
| 2022 May 20 | 16h 49m 42s | -55° 52’ 51” | 18.95 | Ara |
| 2022 May 21 | 16h 47m 45s | -55° 45’ 03” | 18.96 | Ara |
| 2022 May 22 | 16h 45m 47s | -55° 36’ 57” | 18.97 | Ara |
| 2022 May 23 | 16h 43m 50s | -55° 28’ 33” | 18.97 | Ara |
| 2022 May 24 | 16h 41m 54s | -55° 19’ 50” | 18.98 | Ara |
| 2022 May 25 | 16h 40m 00s | -55° 10’ 50” | 18.99 | Ara |
| 2022 May 26 | 16h 38m 06s | -55° 01’ 32” | 19.00 | Ara |
| 2022 May 27 | 16h 36m 11s | -54° 51’ 56” | 19.01 | Ara |
| 2022 May 28 | 16h 34m 19s | -54° 42’ 05” | 19.02 | Norma |
| 2022 May 29 | 16h 32m 29s | -54° 31’ 55” | 19.03 | Norma |
| 2022 May 30 | 16h 30m 38s | -54° 21’ 32” | 19.04 | Norma |
| 2022 May 31 | 16h 28m 50s | -54° 10’ 51” | 19.05 | Norma |
| 2022 Jun 01 | 16h 27m 03s | -53° 59’ 56” | 19.06 | Norma |