Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy
Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is currently in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of 500,846,176 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 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 28° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Earth is currently 500,846,176 kilometers, equivalent to 3.347950 Astronomical Units. Light takes 27 minutes and 50.6430 seconds to travel from Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 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 129P/Shoemaker-Levy from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy to Earth happens on Fri Dec 24 2004 at a distance of 1.946997 Astronomical Units, or 291,266,666 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy, 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 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy at epoch 12 October 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456213.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.09784661 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.44203351° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.91136156 AU 585,131,363 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.75980592 AU 712,056,832 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.33558374 AU 648,594,097 km |
| Orbital period | period |
9.0278 years 3,297.3860 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Jan-29 19:37:17 2,456,687.3176 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Feb-09 04:53 2,459,984.7036 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 307.01165168729° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 185.98729920145° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 308.26983561914° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.10917739°/day |
Visualization of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 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 129P/Shoemaker-Levy in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 12h 41m 35s | -03° 17’ 59” | 19.64 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 09 | 12h 41m 16s | -03° 15’ 34” | 19.65 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 10 | 12h 40m 56s | -03° 13’ 14” | 19.65 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 11 | 12h 40m 40s | -03° 11’ 00” | 19.66 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 12 | 12h 40m 23s | -03° 08’ 52” | 19.67 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 13 | 12h 40m 06s | -03° 06’ 48” | 19.67 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 14 | 12h 39m 51s | -03° 04’ 50” | 19.68 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 15 | 12h 39m 37s | -03° 02’ 58” | 19.69 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 16 | 12h 39m 24s | -03° 01’ 13” | 19.70 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 17 | 12h 39m 11s | -02° 59’ 33” | 19.70 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 18 | 12h 38m 58s | -02° 57’ 59” | 19.71 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 19 | 12h 38m 48s | -02° 56’ 30” | 19.72 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 20 | 12h 38m 38s | -02° 55’ 06” | 19.73 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 21 | 12h 38m 29s | -02° 53’ 49” | 19.73 | Virgo |