Comet 13P/Olbers
Comet 13P/Olbers is currently in the constellation of Auriga, at a distance of 325,655,178 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 13P/Olbers from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 13P/Olbers is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the West direction at an altitude of 50° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 13P/Olbers is visible with the help of a binocular with a 60-70mm aperture or a small telescope.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 13P/Olbers is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 13P/Olbers?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 13P/Olbers in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 13P/Olbers Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 13P/Olbers from Earth is currently 325,655,178 kilometers, equivalent to 2.176870 Astronomical Units. Light takes 18 minutes and 6.2687 seconds to travel from Comet 13P/Olbers and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 13P/Olbers 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 13P/Olbers from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 13P/Olbers to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 13P/Olbers to Earth happens on Sun Jan 10 2094 at a distance of 0.756495 Astronomical Units, or 113,170,038 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 13P/Olbers Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 13P/Olbers, 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 13P/Olbers Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 13P/Olbers at epoch 12 December 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458100.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.93027030 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 44.62814063° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.16028023 AU 173,575,453 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
32.11909016 AU 4,804,947,506 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
16.63968519 AU 2,489,261,479 km |
| Orbital period | period |
67.8775 years 24,792.2581 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Jun-29 03:40:51 2,460,490.6534 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 64.659455379097° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 85.907842806649° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 325.29339072742° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.01452066°/day |
Visualization of Comet 13P/Olbers Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 13P/Olbers with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 13P/Olbers 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 13P/Olbers in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 13P/Olbers 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 13P/Olbers computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 13P/Olbers in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 09 | 04h 58m 39s | +29° 19’ 50” | 8.99 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 10 | 05h 01m 20s | +29° 41’ 39” | 8.95 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 11 | 05h 04m 05s | +30° 03’ 21” | 8.91 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 12 | 05h 06m 51s | +30° 25’ 00” | 8.87 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 13 | 05h 09m 41s | +30° 46’ 32” | 8.82 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 14 | 05h 12m 33s | +31° 08’ 00” | 8.78 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 15 | 05h 15m 27s | +31° 29’ 22” | 8.74 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 16 | 05h 18m 24s | +31° 50’ 38” | 8.70 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 17 | 05h 21m 24s | +32° 11’ 47” | 8.66 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 18 | 05h 24m 26s | +32° 32’ 48” | 8.62 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 19 | 05h 27m 32s | +32° 53’ 40” | 8.58 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 20 | 05h 30m 39s | +33° 14’ 25” | 8.54 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 21 | 05h 33m 51s | +33° 34’ 59” | 8.50 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 22 | 05h 37m 05s | +33° 55’ 26” | 8.46 | Auriga |