Comet 10P/Tempel
Comet 10P/Tempel (also known as Comet Tempel 2) is a periodic comet that orbits the Sun once every 5.4 years. It has an eccentric orbit that takes it from a perihelion distance of 1.4 astronomical units (AU) to an aphelion distance of 4.7 AU. It was first discovered by Wilhelm Tempel in France on July 4, 1873.
Comet 10P/Tempel is in the constellation of
Leo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 10P/Tempel is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 10P/Tempel?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 10P/Tempel 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 10P/Tempel from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 10P/Tempel is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South direction at an altitude of 57.29° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 10P/Tempel 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 10P/Tempel from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 10P/Tempel 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 10P/Tempel from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 10P/Tempel to Earth happens on Tue Aug 4 2026 at a distance of 0.414485 Astronomical Units, or 62,006,142 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 10P/Tempel, 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 10P/Tempel at epoch 12 May 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456425.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53640358 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.02725131° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.42083031 AU 212,553,190 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.70876967 AU 704,421,918 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.06479999 AU 458,487,554 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3655 years 1,959.7543 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Nov-15 01:56:43 2,457,341.5811 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Mar-27 20:02 2,459,301.3354 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 195.54140401041° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.80297999279° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 191.7191212244° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18369649°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 10P/Tempel in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 10P/Tempel 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 Apr 05 | 11h 13m 39s | +18° 28’ 37” | 19.54 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 06 | 11h 13m 00s | +18° 31’ 43” | 19.54 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 11h 12m 21s | +18° 34’ 40” | 19.54 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 11h 11m 42s | +18° 37’ 29” | 19.54 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 11h 11m 05s | +18° 40’ 08” | 19.55 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 11h 10m 28s | +18° 42’ 37” | 19.55 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 11h 09m 53s | +18° 44’ 59” | 19.55 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 11h 09m 18s | +18° 47’ 10” | 19.55 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 11h 08m 44s | +18° 49’ 13” | 19.55 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 11h 08m 11s | +18° 51’ 06” | 19.56 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 11h 07m 39s | +18° 52’ 52” | 19.56 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 11h 07m 08s | +18° 54’ 27” | 19.56 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 11h 06m 37s | +18° 55’ 54” | 19.56 | Leo |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 11h 06m 08s | +18° 57’ 12” | 19.57 | Leo |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 10P/Tempel?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 10P/Tempel from Earth?)
- When does Comet 10P/Tempel rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 10P/Tempel?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 10P/Tempel orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 10P/Tempel with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 10P/Tempel for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 10P/Tempel in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 10P/Tempel with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.