Comet Encke (2P/Encke)
Comet 2P/Encke is a periodic comet that takes about 3.3 years to complete one orbit around the Sun. It was first discovered by Pierre MĂ©chain on January 17, 1786, and was later independently rediscovered by Johann Franz Encke on November 2, 1818. The comet is named after Encke, who calculated its orbit and predicted its return in 1822. Comet 2P/Encke has a relatively short orbital period and its orbit is known for being influenced by the gravitational pull of Jupiter. It has an average distance from the Sun of about 2.2 astronomical units (AU) and an eccentricity of 0.85, which means its perihelion distance is only 0.34 AU while its aphelion distance is around 3.5 AU. Comet 2P/Encke is known for being a source of the Taurid meteor shower, which occurs every year in late October and early November as Earth passes through the dust and debris left behind by the comet.
Comet Encke (2P/Encke) is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet Encke (2P/Encke) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet Encke (2P/Encke)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet Encke (2P/Encke) 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 Encke (2P/Encke) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 2P/Encke is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 2P/Encke 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 Encke (2P/Encke) from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) 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 2P/Encke from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) to Earth happens on Sat Jul 5 1997 at a distance of 0.190257 Astronomical Units, or 28,462,061 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 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) at epoch 06 January 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457760.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.84833408 |
Orbit inclination | i | 11.77822630° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.33590100 AU 50,250,075 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
4.09358455 AU 612,391,533 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
2.21474278 AU 331,320,804 km |
Orbital period | period |
3.2960 years 1,203.8805 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2017-Mar-10 02:13:14 2,457,822.5925 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2020-Jun-25 23:21 2,459,026.4730 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 186.56269392° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 334.56005331322° |
Mean anomaly | M | 341.43228384528° |
Mean motion | n | 0.29903301°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet Encke (2P/Encke) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days 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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 06 | 22h 15m 12s | -10° 39’ 16” | 21.65 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 07 | 22h 16m 05s | -10° 33’ 45” | 21.66 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 08 | 22h 16m 59s | -10° 28’ 13” | 21.66 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 09 | 22h 17m 51s | -10° 22’ 40” | 21.66 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 10 | 22h 18m 45s | -10° 17’ 07” | 21.67 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 11 | 22h 19m 38s | -10° 11’ 32” | 21.67 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 12 | 22h 20m 32s | -10° 05’ 58” | 21.67 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 13 | 22h 21m 25s | -10° 00’ 23” | 21.68 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 14 | 22h 22m 19s | -09° 54’ 47” | 21.68 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 15 | 22h 23m 12s | -09° 49’ 10” | 21.68 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 16 | 22h 24m 06s | -09° 43’ 32” | 21.68 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 17 | 22h 24m 59s | -09° 37’ 54” | 21.69 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 18 | 22h 25m 53s | -09° 32’ 17” | 21.69 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 19 | 22h 26m 46s | -09° 26’ 38” | 21.69 | Aquarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet Encke (2P/Encke)?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet Encke (2P/Encke) from Earth?)
- When does Comet Encke (2P/Encke) rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet Encke (2P/Encke)?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet Encke (2P/Encke) orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet Encke (2P/Encke) for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet Encke (2P/Encke) in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet Encke (2P/Encke) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.