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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Jul 16 | 20.55 | 23h 15m 03s | -04° 26’ 39” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 17 | 20.54 | 23h 14m 35s | -04° 28’ 45” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 18 | 20.52 | 23h 14m 07s | -04° 30’ 57” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 19 | 20.51 | 23h 13m 36s | -04° 33’ 17” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 20 | 20.50 | 23h 13m 05s | -04° 35’ 43” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 21 | 20.48 | 23h 12m 33s | -04° 38’ 13” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 22 | 20.47 | 23h 11m 58s | -04° 40’ 51” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 23 | 20.45 | 23h 11m 25s | -04° 43’ 36” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 24 | 20.44 | 23h 10m 49s | -04° 46’ 26” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 25 | 20.43 | 23h 10m 13s | -04° 49’ 22” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 26 | 20.41 | 23h 09m 34s | -04° 52’ 23” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 27 | 20.40 | 23h 08m 57s | -04° 55’ 32” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 28 | 20.38 | 23h 08m 17s | -04° 58’ 45” | Aquarius |
| 2018 Jul 29 | 20.37 | 23h 07m 36s | -05° 02’ 06” | 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.