Comet Encke (2P/Encke)
Comet Encke (2P/Encke) Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet Encke (2P/Encke) 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 Encke (2P/Encke) Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet Encke (2P/Encke) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet Encke (2P/Encke) Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) 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 Encke (2P/Encke) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet Encke (2P/Encke) Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet Encke (2P/Encke) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Jan 15 | 22h 25m 36s | -07° 58’ 42” | 21.23 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 16 | 22h 26m 20s | -07° 54’ 11” | 21.23 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 17 | 22h 27m 03s | -07° 49’ 36” | 21.23 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 18 | 22h 27m 48s | -07° 44’ 58” | 21.22 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 19 | 22h 28m 33s | -07° 40’ 18” | 21.22 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 20 | 22h 29m 18s | -07° 35’ 36” | 21.22 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 21 | 22h 30m 05s | -07° 30’ 52” | 21.21 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 22 | 22h 30m 51s | -07° 26’ 05” | 21.21 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 23 | 22h 31m 36s | -07° 21’ 16” | 21.21 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 24 | 22h 32m 22s | -07° 16’ 24” | 21.20 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 25 | 22h 33m 10s | -07° 11’ 31” | 21.20 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 26 | 22h 33m 56s | -07° 06’ 36” | 21.19 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 27 | 22h 34m 44s | -07° 01’ 37” | 21.19 | Aquarius |
| 2019 Jan 28 | 22h 35m 31s | -06° 56’ 38” | 21.18 | Aquarius |
Distance of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) 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 Encke's Comet is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet Encke (2P/Encke)
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet Encke (2P/Encke), 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 Encke (2P/Encke) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) at epoch 15 March 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457097.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.84832517 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.78183005° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.33598015 AU 50,261,915 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.09428900 AU 612,496,917 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.21513457 AU 331,379,416 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.3000 years 1,204.1999 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Nov-21 18:07:14 2,456,618.2550 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Mar-09 22:55 2,457,822.4550 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 186.54370091547° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 334.56783929051° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 143.2720471023° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29895368°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2063-Jul-07 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.19396660 AU 29,016,990 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.