Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is currently in the constellation of Octans. The current Right Ascension of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is 22h 25m 10s and the Declination is -84° 12’ 40” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is 25.44 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) from Earth is currently 6,705,225,475 kilometers, equivalent to 44.821664 Astronomical Units. Light takes 6 hours, 12 minutes and 46.2247 seconds to travel from Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) 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 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) to Earth
Between January 1900 and January 2100, the closest approach of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) to Earth happens on Sat Mar 22 1997 at a distance of 1.315204 Astronomical Units, or 196,751,791 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is 25.44.
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 behavior 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1), 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 Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) at epoch 14 September 2008 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454724.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99496070 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 89.21708989° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.91741434 AU 137,243,232 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
363.18652635 AU 54,331,931,118 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
182.05197035 AU 27,234,587,175 km |
| Orbital period | period |
2,456.4100 years 897,204.6223 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1997-Mar-30 22:30:30 2,450,538.4378 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 4453-Sep-15 13:26 3,347,743.0602 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 130.66202052642° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 282.9487539424° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 1.6796417864261° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00040125°/day |
Visualization of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) 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 Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Jan 11 | 22h 20m 35s | -84° 19’ 36” | 25.43 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 12 | 22h 21m 11s | -84° 18’ 37” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 13 | 22h 21m 48s | -84° 17’ 39” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 14 | 22h 22m 26s | -84° 16’ 41” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 15 | 22h 23m 03s | -84° 15’ 43” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 16 | 22h 23m 40s | -84° 14’ 48” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 17 | 22h 24m 19s | -84° 13’ 53” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 18 | 22h 24m 56s | -84° 12’ 59” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 19 | 22h 25m 36s | -84° 12’ 05” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 20 | 22h 26m 14s | -84° 11’ 12” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 21 | 22h 26m 54s | -84° 10’ 20” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 22 | 22h 27m 33s | -84° 09’ 29” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 23 | 22h 28m 14s | -84° 08’ 39” | 25.44 | Octans |
| 2021 Jan 24 | 22h 28m 54s | -84° 07’ 50” | 25.44 | Octans |