Comet 9P/Tempel 1
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 9P/Tempel 1 is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 9P/Tempel 1 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Orbit Diagram
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 08 | 03h 23m 04s | +15° 50’ 47” | 21.31 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 03h 22m 26s | +15° 49’ 33” | 21.32 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 03h 21m 47s | +15° 48’ 23” | 21.33 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 03h 21m 09s | +15° 47’ 13” | 21.33 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 03h 20m 30s | +15° 46’ 08” | 21.34 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 03h 19m 54s | +15° 45’ 03” | 21.34 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 03h 19m 18s | +15° 44’ 03” | 21.35 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 03h 18m 42s | +15° 43’ 04” | 21.35 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 03h 18m 07s | +15° 42’ 09” | 21.36 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 03h 17m 34s | +15° 41’ 16” | 21.37 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 03h 17m 00s | +15° 40’ 26” | 21.37 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 19 | 03h 16m 28s | +15° 39’ 38” | 21.38 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 20 | 03h 15m 57s | +15° 38’ 54” | 21.39 | Aries |
| 2018 Dec 21 | 03h 15m 26s | +15° 38’ 13” | 21.39 | Aries |
Distance of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 9P/Tempel 1 is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 9P/Tempel 1
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 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 at epoch 10 May 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457519.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.50964598 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.47374985° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.54255281 AU 230,762,617 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.74903552 AU 710,445,603 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.14579417 AU 470,604,110 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.5800 years 2,037.9517 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Aug-02 13:49:36 2,457,603.0761 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Mar-02 12:40 2,459,641.0278 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 179.20203243° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.750139039454° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 345.23644948366° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17664796°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2040-Jun-16 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.94602055 AU 141,522,660 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.