Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is in the constellation of
Octans,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High 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.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted 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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is not visible from Greenwich, UK
- C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) to Earth happens on Mon May 27 2013 at a distance of 34.005886 Astronomical Units, or 5,087,208,201 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) at epoch 14 September 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459837.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99498100 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 89.28759425° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.89053766 AU 133,222,539 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
353.97623016 AU 52,954,090,417 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
177.43338391 AU 26,543,656,478 km |
| Orbital period | period |
2,363.5305 years 863,279.5035 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1997-Mar-29 15:14:15 2,450,537.1349 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 4360-Oct-27 03:19 3,313,816.6384 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 130.41466706592° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 282.73342139616° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 3.8783863394232° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00041701°/day |
View Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 29 | 23h 09m 59s | -84° 17’ 22” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 May 30 | 23h 10m 04s | -84° 18’ 29” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 May 31 | 23h 10m 09s | -84° 19’ 36” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 23h 10m 13s | -84° 20’ 44” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 23h 10m 16s | -84° 21’ 53” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 03 | 23h 10m 18s | -84° 23’ 01” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 04 | 23h 10m 20s | -84° 24’ 09” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 05 | 23h 10m 20s | -84° 25’ 18” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 06 | 23h 10m 21s | -84° 26’ 27” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 07 | 23h 10m 20s | -84° 27’ 36” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 08 | 23h 10m 18s | -84° 28’ 45” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 09 | 23h 10m 17s | -84° 29’ 54” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 10 | 23h 10m 13s | -84° 31’ 03” | 20.05 | Octans |
| 2025 Jun 11 | 23h 10m 09s | -84° 32’ 12” | 20.05 | Octans |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)?: Key information on locating Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)'s rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) with respect to the major Solar System objects.