103P/Hartley
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach26 Sep 20239.61.088 AU0.384 AU06h01m+34°53'92.3°67.0°270°
Perihelion12 Oct 20239.61.065 AU0.408 AU07h28m+21°04'88.0°69.5°279°
Today9 Feb 202524.54.341 AU3.765 AU13h03m-15°32'119.8°11.4°297°
103P/Hartley- 2025-02-09
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)

The orbital elements of 103P/Hartley are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.6936060
            q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.0648310
            i (Inclination)                 : 13.60950
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 219.75300
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 181.32250
            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 221.03838
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -0.31116
            T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460229.97420
            P (Orbital period in years)     : 6.48

            Epoch                           : 2025 Feb 08
            Reference                       : MPEC 2025-CE3

            Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
            Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.641
        

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC. The gray curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from the original MPEC, or the latest values provided by the MPC (8.50 + 5 log[∆] + 20.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 11.11 + 5 log[∆] + 16.54 log[r]).


The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.