Comet 8P/Tuttle is a periodic comet that orbits the Sun once every 13.6 years. It was discovered by American astronomer Horace Parnell Tuttle on May 3, 1858. The comet has a highly elliptical orbit, with an aphelion distance of about 10.4 AU and a perihelion distance of about 1.02 AU. It was originally classified as a Jupiter-family comet (even though it does not fit the most modern classification criteria), meaning its orbit is strongly influenced by the gravity of Jupiter.
Comet 8P/Tuttle Position Calculator
Compute the position of Comet 8P/Tuttle for any date and time between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
In Evidence
Comet 8P/Tuttle
Comet 8P/Tuttle is in the constellation of
Scutum,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High 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.
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 8P/Tuttle from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 8P/Tuttle is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 8P/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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 8P/Tuttle from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 8P/Tuttle to Earth happens on Mon Dec 28 2048 at a distance of 0.175435 Astronomical Units, or 26,244,724 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 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.
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 |
View Comet 8P/Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 12 | 18h 50m 20s | -12° 31’ 45” | 23.44 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 13 | 18h 50m 03s | -12° 30’ 13” | 23.43 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 14 | 18h 49m 46s | -12° 28’ 42” | 23.43 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 15 | 18h 49m 28s | -12° 27’ 13” | 23.43 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 16 | 18h 49m 10s | -12° 25’ 44” | 23.43 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 17 | 18h 48m 52s | -12° 24’ 17” | 23.43 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 18 | 18h 48m 34s | -12° 22’ 51” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 19 | 18h 48m 15s | -12° 21’ 25” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 20 | 18h 47m 55s | -12° 20’ 01” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 21 | 18h 47m 35s | -12° 18’ 39” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 22 | 18h 47m 15s | -12° 17’ 17” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 23 | 18h 46m 55s | -12° 15’ 56” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 24 | 18h 46m 34s | -12° 14’ 37” | 23.42 | Scutum |
| 2025 May 25 | 18h 46m 13s | -12° 13’ 19” | 23.41 | Scutum |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 8P/Tuttle: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com
- Where is Comet 8P/Tuttle?: Key information on locating Comet 8P/Tuttle in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 8P/Tuttle is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 8P/Tuttle?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 8P/Tuttle's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 8P/Tuttle's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 8P/Tuttle's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 8P/Tuttle orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 8P/Tuttle with respect to the major Solar System objects.