Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS
Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is currently in the constellation of Carina, at a distance of 1,167,996,728 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom
- 161P/Hartley-IRAS is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 161P/Hartley-IRAS is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS from Earth is currently 1,167,996,728 kilometers, equivalent to 7.807576 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 4 minutes and 56.0177 seconds to travel from Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS to Earth happens on Fri Oct 2 2026 at a distance of 0.505482 Astronomical Units, or 75,618,969 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS, 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS at epoch 03 July 2004 00:00 UTC (JD: 2453190.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.83508810 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 95.69805020° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.27482939 AU 190,711,762 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
14.18590285 AU 2,122,180,865 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
7.73036612 AU 1,156,446,313 km |
| Orbital period | period |
21.4936 years 7,850.5218 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2005-Jun-20 20:24:46 2,453,542.3505 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2026-Dec-18 08:56 2,461,392.8723 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 47.091452375467° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 1.3981653712267° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 343.86525171541° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.04585682°/day |
Visualization of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 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 161P/Hartley-IRAS in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 11 | 06h 37m 35s | -54° 57’ 48” | 26.22 | Carina |
| 2024 May 12 | 06h 37m 58s | -54° 52’ 23” | 26.22 | Carina |
| 2024 May 13 | 06h 38m 21s | -54° 47’ 02” | 26.21 | Carina |
| 2024 May 14 | 06h 38m 44s | -54° 41’ 45” | 26.21 | Carina |
| 2024 May 15 | 06h 39m 08s | -54° 36’ 34” | 26.21 | Carina |
| 2024 May 16 | 06h 39m 33s | -54° 31’ 28” | 26.20 | Carina |
| 2024 May 17 | 06h 40m 00s | -54° 26’ 27” | 26.20 | Carina |
| 2024 May 18 | 06h 40m 26s | -54° 21’ 30” | 26.20 | Carina |
| 2024 May 19 | 06h 40m 51s | -54° 16’ 41” | 26.19 | Carina |
| 2024 May 20 | 06h 41m 18s | -54° 11’ 54” | 26.19 | Carina |
| 2024 May 21 | 06h 41m 47s | -54° 07’ 14” | 26.18 | Carina |
| 2024 May 22 | 06h 42m 14s | -54° 02’ 39” | 26.18 | Carina |
| 2024 May 23 | 06h 42m 42s | -53° 58’ 09” | 26.18 | Carina |
| 2024 May 24 | 06h 43m 10s | -53° 53’ 44” | 26.17 | Carina |