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
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 local timezone Europe/London.
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 | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Jun 20 | 17.11 | 22h 35m 25s | -19° 42’ 39” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 21 | 17.10 | 22h 34m 04s | -19° 51’ 11” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 22 | 17.10 | 22h 32m 39s | -19° 59’ 54” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 23 | 17.09 | 22h 31m 13s | -20° 08’ 48” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 24 | 17.08 | 22h 29m 43s | -20° 17’ 48” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 25 | 17.08 | 22h 28m 09s | -20° 26’ 58” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 26 | 17.07 | 22h 26m 34s | -20° 36’ 15” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 27 | 17.07 | 22h 24m 55s | -20° 45’ 41” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 28 | 17.06 | 22h 23m 12s | -20° 55’ 12” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 29 | 17.05 | 22h 21m 29s | -21° 04’ 47” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jun 30 | 17.04 | 22h 19m 41s | -21° 14’ 29” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jul 01 | 17.04 | 22h 17m 52s | -21° 24’ 14” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jul 02 | 17.03 | 22h 15m 59s | -21° 34’ 01” | Aquarius |
| 2017 Jul 03 | 17.02 | 22h 14m 03s | -21° 43’ 50” | 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 06 November 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456968.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.84829293 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.78089864° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.33604692 AU 50,271,904 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.09416079 AU 612,477,737 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.21510386 AU 331,374,821 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.3000 years 1,204.1749 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Nov-21 17:17:08 2,456,618.2202 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Mar-09 21:28 2,457,822.3951 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 186.54167771043° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 334.56882356405° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 104.71960118399° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29895990°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2063-Jul-07 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.19263795 AU 28,818,228 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.