Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)
Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) 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 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Rise and Set Times
Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) 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 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 May 18 | 24.96 | 00h 19m 45s | -84° 34’ 23” | Octans |
| 2018 May 19 | 24.96 | 00h 20m 18s | -84° 35’ 30” | Octans |
| 2018 May 20 | 24.96 | 00h 20m 52s | -84° 36’ 35” | Octans |
| 2018 May 21 | 24.96 | 00h 21m 23s | -84° 37’ 42” | Octans |
| 2018 May 22 | 24.96 | 00h 21m 54s | -84° 38’ 50” | Octans |
| 2018 May 23 | 24.96 | 00h 22m 24s | -84° 40’ 00” | Octans |
| 2018 May 24 | 24.96 | 00h 22m 54s | -84° 41’ 09” | Octans |
| 2018 May 25 | 24.96 | 00h 23m 23s | -84° 42’ 20” | Octans |
| 2018 May 26 | 24.96 | 00h 23m 53s | -84° 43’ 31” | Octans |
| 2018 May 27 | 24.96 | 00h 24m 20s | -84° 44’ 43” | Octans |
| 2018 May 28 | 24.96 | 00h 24m 48s | -84° 45’ 55” | Octans |
| 2018 May 29 | 24.96 | 00h 25m 15s | -84° 47’ 08” | Octans |
| 2018 May 30 | 24.96 | 00h 25m 41s | -84° 48’ 21” | Octans |
| 2018 May 31 | 24.96 | 00h 26m 08s | -84° 49’ 36” | Octans |
Distance of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) 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 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), 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 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) 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 |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2013-May-27 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 34.00597060 AU 5,087,220,802 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.