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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Sep 17 | 22h 22m 20s | -08° 53’ 29” | 20.13 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 18 | 22h 21m 27s | -08° 57’ 57” | 20.15 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 19 | 22h 20m 34s | -09° 02’ 22” | 20.17 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 20 | 22h 19m 41s | -09° 06’ 43” | 20.19 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 21 | 22h 18m 51s | -09° 11’ 00” | 20.21 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 22 | 22h 18m 00s | -09° 15’ 14” | 20.22 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 23 | 22h 17m 09s | -09° 19’ 23” | 20.24 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 24 | 22h 16m 21s | -09° 23’ 26” | 20.26 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 25 | 22h 15m 32s | -09° 27’ 26” | 20.28 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 26 | 22h 14m 44s | -09° 31’ 22” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 27 | 22h 13m 58s | -09° 35’ 12” | 20.31 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 28 | 22h 13m 11s | -09° 38’ 57” | 20.33 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 29 | 22h 12m 26s | -09° 42’ 37” | 20.35 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Sep 30 | 22h 11m 43s | -09° 46’ 13” | 20.37 | 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 26 February 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457080.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.84832024 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.78148670° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.33599075 AU 50,263,501 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.09427397 AU 612,494,669 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.21513236 AU 331,379,085 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.3000 years 1,204.1981 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Nov-21 17:57:51 2,456,618.2485 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Mar-09 22:43 2,457,822.4466 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 186.54303564067° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 334.56826976987° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 138.19199075765° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29895413°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2063-Jul-07 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.19345835 AU 28,940,957 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.