Comet 9P/Tempel 1
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 is currently in the constellation of Aquarius. The current Right Ascension of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 is 23h 47m 03s and the Declination is -09° 51’ 35” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 is 20.12 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 9P/Tempel 1 [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]:
- 9P/Tempel 1 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the South direction at an altitude of 29° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 9P/Tempel 1 is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 9P/Tempel 1 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 9P/Tempel 1 available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 9P/Tempel 1 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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 9P/Tempel 1 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 9P/Tempel 1?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 9P/Tempel 1 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 from Earth is currently 547,742,477 kilometers, equivalent to 3.661432 Astronomical Units. Light takes 30 minutes and 27.0722 seconds to travel from Comet 9P/Tempel 1 and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 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 9P/Tempel 1 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 to Earth happens on Sat Jun 16 2040 at a distance of 0.946207 Astronomical Units, or 141,550,499 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 is 20.12.
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 9P/Tempel 1, 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 9P/Tempel 1 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 9P/Tempel 1 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 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 9P/Tempel 1 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 at epoch 24 December 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457381.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.50981218 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.47330197° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.54239348 AU 230,738,781 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.75067788 AU 710,691,296 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.14653568 AU 470,715,039 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.5816 years 2,038.6723 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Aug-02 13:25:35 2,457,603.0594 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Mar-03 05:33 2,459,641.7317 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 179.18782584718° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.766701809392° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 320.87581259496° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17658552°/day |
Visualization of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 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 9P/Tempel 1 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 9P/Tempel 1 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Jan 20 | 23h 37m 54s | -11° 07’ 02” | 20.00 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 21 | 23h 39m 06s | -10° 57’ 09” | 20.01 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 22 | 23h 40m 18s | -10° 47’ 14” | 20.03 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 23 | 23h 41m 30s | -10° 37’ 21” | 20.05 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 24 | 23h 42m 41s | -10° 27’ 28” | 20.06 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 25 | 23h 43m 53s | -10° 17’ 35” | 20.08 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 26 | 23h 45m 05s | -10° 07’ 44” | 20.10 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 27 | 23h 46m 17s | -09° 57’ 51” | 20.11 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 28 | 23h 47m 29s | -09° 48’ 02” | 20.13 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 29 | 23h 48m 42s | -09° 38’ 12” | 20.14 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 30 | 23h 49m 54s | -09° 28’ 23” | 20.16 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Jan 31 | 23h 51m 06s | -09° 18’ 33” | 20.17 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Feb 01 | 23h 52m 18s | -09° 08’ 47” | 20.19 | Aquarius |
| 2023 Feb 02 | 23h 53m 30s | -08° 58’ 59” | 20.20 | Aquarius |