Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is in the constellation of
Octans,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
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
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.
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 |
Orbit Visualization
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 Feb 03 | 22h 14m 32s | -83° 28’ 47” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 04 | 22h 15m 09s | -83° 28’ 19” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 05 | 22h 15m 47s | -83° 27’ 51” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 06 | 22h 16m 24s | -83° 27’ 24” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 07 | 22h 17m 02s | -83° 26’ 58” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 08 | 22h 17m 39s | -83° 26’ 33” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 09 | 22h 18m 17s | -83° 26’ 09” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 10 | 22h 18m 54s | -83° 25’ 46” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 11 | 22h 19m 32s | -83° 25’ 23” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 12 | 22h 20m 10s | -83° 25’ 03” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 13 | 22h 20m 48s | -83° 24’ 42” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 14 | 22h 21m 25s | -83° 24’ 24” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 15 | 22h 22m 03s | -83° 24’ 05” | 20.05 | Octans |
2025 Feb 16 | 22h 22m 41s | -83° 23’ 48” | 20.05 | Octans |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) from Earth?)
- When does Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.