Comet 103P/Hartley
Comet 103P/Hartley is currently in the constellation of Hydra, at a distance of 390,339,925 kilometers from Earth.
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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.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 103P/Hartley from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 103P/Hartley is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 32° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 103P/Hartley is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 103P/Hartley is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 103P/Hartley?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 103P/Hartley in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 103P/Hartley Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 103P/Hartley from Earth is currently 390,339,925 kilometers, equivalent to 2.609261 Astronomical Units. Light takes 21 minutes and 42.0338 seconds to travel from Comet 103P/Hartley and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 103P/Hartley 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 103P/Hartley from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 103P/Hartley to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 103P/Hartley to Earth happens on Thu Oct 21 2010 at a distance of 0.120883 Astronomical Units, or 18,083,776 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 103P/Hartley Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 103P/Hartley, 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 103P/Hartley 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 103P/Hartley computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 103P/Hartley in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 08h 53m 44s | +04° 09’ 03” | 19.71 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 09 | 08h 54m 55s | +04° 09’ 38” | 19.74 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 10 | 08h 56m 06s | +04° 10’ 05” | 19.76 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 11 | 08h 57m 16s | +04° 10’ 26” | 19.79 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 12 | 08h 58m 28s | +04° 10’ 37” | 19.81 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 13 | 08h 59m 39s | +04° 10’ 42” | 19.83 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 14 | 09h 00m 51s | +04° 10’ 41” | 19.86 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 15 | 09h 02m 03s | +04° 10’ 31” | 19.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 16 | 09h 03m 16s | +04° 10’ 14” | 19.90 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 17 | 09h 04m 29s | +04° 09’ 50” | 19.92 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 18 | 09h 05m 42s | +04° 09’ 20” | 19.95 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 19 | 09h 06m 55s | +04° 08’ 41” | 19.97 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 20 | 09h 08m 08s | +04° 07’ 58” | 19.99 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 21 | 09h 09m 21s | +04° 07’ 08” | 20.01 | Hydra |