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 Aug 16 | 17.45 | 20h 37m 42s | -26° 18’ 32” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 17 | 17.50 | 20h 36m 01s | -26° 19’ 12” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 18 | 17.54 | 20h 34m 21s | -26° 19’ 39” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 19 | 17.59 | 20h 32m 44s | -26° 19’ 54” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 20 | 17.64 | 20h 31m 09s | -26° 19’ 55” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 21 | 17.68 | 20h 29m 38s | -26° 19’ 47” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 22 | 17.73 | 20h 28m 09s | -26° 19’ 27” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 23 | 17.78 | 20h 26m 44s | -26° 18’ 57” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 24 | 17.82 | 20h 25m 20s | -26° 18’ 16” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 25 | 17.86 | 20h 24m 01s | -26° 17’ 26” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 26 | 17.91 | 20h 22m 44s | -26° 16’ 27” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 27 | 17.95 | 20h 21m 29s | -26° 15’ 19” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 28 | 18.00 | 20h 20m 17s | -26° 14’ 02” | Capricornus |
| 2017 Aug 29 | 18.04 | 20h 19m 09s | -26° 12’ 36” | Capricornus |
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 25 November 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456987.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.84829630 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.78097275° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.33604093 AU 50,271,008 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.09418635 AU 612,481,561 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.21511364 AU 331,376,284 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.3000 years 1,204.1829 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Nov-21 17:22:25 2,456,618.2239 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Mar-09 21:45 2,457,822.4068 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 186.54202989162° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 334.56863395683° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 110.39801098541° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29895792°/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.