Comet 9P/Tempel
Comet 9P/Tempel is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 9P/Tempel is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 9P/Tempel?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 9P/Tempel 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 9P/Tempel from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 9P/Tempel is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 9P/Tempel 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 9P/Tempel from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 9P/Tempel 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 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 9P/Tempel to Earth happens on Wed May 4 2005 at a distance of 0.711500 Astronomical Units, or 106,438,909 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 9P/Tempel, 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 9P/Tempel at epoch 13 March 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457461.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.50971530 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.47337656° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.54253676 AU 230,760,215 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.74987567 AU 710,571,287 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.14620621 AU 470,665,751 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.5807 years 2,038.3521 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Aug-02 13:39:41 2,457,603.0692 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Mar-02 22:06 2,459,641.4213 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 179.19604570871° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.75447718428° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 334.9969963096° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17661326°/day |
View Comet 9P/Tempel in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 9P/Tempel 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 27 | 05h 01m 22s | +24° 30’ 28” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 28 | 05h 02m 20s | +24° 32’ 20” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 29 | 05h 03m 17s | +24° 34’ 12” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 30 | 05h 04m 15s | +24° 36’ 01” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 31 | 05h 05m 12s | +24° 37’ 50” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 05h 06m 10s | +24° 39’ 39” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 05h 07m 08s | +24° 41’ 26” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 03 | 05h 08m 06s | +24° 43’ 13” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 04 | 05h 09m 04s | +24° 44’ 58” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 05 | 05h 10m 02s | +24° 46’ 42” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 06 | 05h 11m 00s | +24° 48’ 26” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 07 | 05h 11m 59s | +24° 50’ 08” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 08 | 05h 12m 57s | +24° 51’ 49” | 22.86 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 09 | 05h 13m 55s | +24° 53’ 29” | 22.86 | Taurus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 9P/Tempel: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 9P/Tempel?: Key information on locating Comet 9P/Tempel in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 9P/Tempel is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 9P/Tempel?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 9P/Tempel's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 9P/Tempel's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 9P/Tempel's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 9P/Tempel orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 9P/Tempel with respect to the major Solar System objects.