Comet 13P/Olbers
Comet 13P/Olbers is currently in the constellation of Taurus, at a distance of 337,720,780 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-South-West direction at an altitude of 42° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 13P/Olbers is visible with the help of a binocular with a 80mm aperture or a small telescope.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 13P/Olbers 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 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 337,720,780 kilometers, equivalent to 2.257524 Astronomical Units. Light takes 18 minutes and 46.5153 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 Apr 21 | 04h 16m 24s | +22° 40’ 58” | 9.75 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 04h 18m 29s | +23° 03’ 15” | 9.70 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 04h 20m 35s | +23° 25’ 35” | 9.66 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 04h 22m 42s | +23° 47’ 53” | 9.62 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 04h 24m 51s | +24° 10’ 09” | 9.58 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 04h 27m 02s | +24° 32’ 26” | 9.54 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 04h 29m 17s | +24° 54’ 42” | 9.49 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 04h 31m 32s | +25° 16’ 59” | 9.45 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 04h 33m 48s | +25° 39’ 12” | 9.41 | Taurus |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 04h 36m 07s | +26° 01’ 26” | 9.37 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 01 | 04h 38m 30s | +26° 23’ 38” | 9.33 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 02 | 04h 40m 53s | +26° 45’ 47” | 9.28 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 03 | 04h 43m 18s | +27° 07’ 55” | 9.24 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 04 | 04h 45m 46s | +27° 30’ 02” | 9.20 | Taurus |