Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is in the constellation of
Libra,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 7.19° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle to Earth happens on Sun Jan 25 2065 at a distance of 0.404270 Astronomical Units, or 60,477,952 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, 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 55P/Tempel-Tuttle at epoch 14 August 1998 00:00 UTC (JD: 2451040.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.90555272 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 162.48657538° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.97642792 AU 146,071,537 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
19.70024854 AU 2,947,115,240 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
10.33833823 AU 1,546,593,389 km |
| Orbital period | period |
33.2418 years 12,141.5612 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1998-Feb-28 02:20:44 2,450,872.5977 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2031-May-27 15:48 2,463,014.1589 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.50027368281° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 235.27098914908° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 4.9783396846882° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.02965022°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 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 | 15h 11m 03s | -14° 48’ 29” | 44.37 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 06 | 15h 10m 47s | -14° 47’ 09” | 44.36 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 15h 10m 31s | -14° 45’ 49” | 44.36 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 15h 10m 15s | -14° 44’ 27” | 44.35 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 15h 09m 58s | -14° 43’ 05” | 44.35 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 15h 09m 42s | -14° 41’ 42” | 44.34 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 15h 09m 25s | -14° 40’ 18” | 44.34 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 15h 09m 08s | -14° 38’ 55” | 44.34 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 15h 08m 51s | -14° 37’ 30” | 44.33 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 15h 08m 33s | -14° 36’ 06” | 44.33 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 15h 08m 16s | -14° 34’ 40” | 44.32 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 15h 07m 58s | -14° 33’ 14” | 44.32 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 15h 07m 41s | -14° 31’ 47” | 44.31 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 15h 07m 23s | -14° 30’ 20” | 44.31 | Libra |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle from Earth?)
- When does Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.