Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle is currently in the constellation of Hydra, at a distance of 6,197,586,250 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 109P/Swift-Tuttle from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 109P/Swift-Tuttle is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 109P/Swift-Tuttle is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle 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 109P/Swift-Tuttle is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle from Earth is currently 6,197,586,250 kilometers, equivalent to 41.428305 Astronomical Units. Light takes 5 hours, 44 minutes and 32.9225 seconds to travel from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 109P/Swift-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 109P/Swift-Tuttle from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle to Earth happens on Sun Feb 17 2013 at a distance of 32.765243 Astronomical Units, or 4,901,610,600 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 109P/Swift-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.
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle at epoch 09 October 1995 00:00 UTC (JD: 2450000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.96322576 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 113.45381700° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.95951616 AU 143,541,574 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
51.22462284 AU 7,663,094,520 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
26.09206950 AU 3,903,318,047 km |
| Orbital period | period |
133.2818 years 48,681.1935 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1992-Dec-11 23:59:41 2,448,968.4998 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2126-Mar-26 04:38 2,497,649.6932 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 152.98216763059° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 139.38119208159° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 7.6316961671242° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00739505°/day |
Visualization of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle 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 109P/Swift-Tuttle in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 09h 34m 32s | -19° 14’ 31” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 02 | 09h 34m 31s | -19° 13’ 37” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 03 | 09h 34m 29s | -19° 12’ 44” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 04 | 09h 34m 29s | -19° 11’ 52” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 05 | 09h 34m 28s | -19° 10’ 59” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 06 | 09h 34m 27s | -19° 10’ 06” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 07 | 09h 34m 27s | -19° 09’ 15” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 08 | 09h 34m 27s | -19° 08’ 24” | 36.88 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 09 | 09h 34m 27s | -19° 07’ 32” | 36.89 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 10 | 09h 34m 26s | -19° 06’ 42” | 36.89 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 11 | 09h 34m 26s | -19° 05’ 52” | 36.89 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 12 | 09h 34m 26s | -19° 05’ 02” | 36.89 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 13 | 09h 34m 26s | -19° 04’ 12” | 36.89 | Hydra |
| 2024 May 14 | 09h 34m 26s | -19° 03’ 23” | 36.89 | Hydra |