161P/Hartley-IRAS
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	25 May 2026	17.3	2.647 AU	3.159 AU	02h47m	-26°50'	51.3°	17.4°	204°
Nearest approach	2 Oct 2026	9.6	1.483 AU	0.505 AU	23h14m	-05°52'	158.7°	14.2°	65°
Perihelion	27 Nov 2026	10.8	1.265 AU	1.406 AU	19h18m	+19°10'	60.9°	42.9°	51°

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.)

Light curve

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS. The light curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from an MPEC, or the latest values provided by the minor planet center. (8.5 + 5 log[∆] + 15.0 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)

Charts

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.

The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.

Orbital elements

The orbital elements of 161P/Hartley-IRAS are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.8361620
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.2651350
    i (Inclination)                 : 95.79060
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 1.47570
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 47.07050
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 355.28549
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 46.75712
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461372.01220
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 21.46

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 24
    Reference                       : MPC191607

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); Halley type (P < 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-05-24 00:00 UT   02 46 33.8   -27 00 34     3.174    2.656   51.0   17.2   203   17.4 
2026-05-25 00:00 UT   02 47 18.8   -26 50 43     3.159    2.647   51.3   17.4   204   17.3 
2026-05-25 00:08 UT   02 47 19.1   -26 50 40     3.159    2.647   51.3   17.4   204   17.3 
2026-05-26 00:00 UT   02 48 03.7   -26 40 59     3.143    2.637   51.6   17.5   205   17.3 
2026-05-27 00:00 UT   02 48 48.5   -26 31 20     3.128    2.628   52.0   17.7   205   17.3 
2026-05-28 00:00 UT   02 49 33.1   -26 21 48     3.113    2.619   52.3   17.8   206   17.2 
2026-05-29 00:00 UT   02 50 17.6   -26 12 22     3.097    2.609   52.6   18.0   207   17.2 
2026-05-30 00:00 UT   02 51 01.9   -26 03 02     3.081    2.600   53.0   18.1   208   17.2 
2026-05-31 00:00 UT   02 51 46.0   -25 53 48     3.065    2.590   53.3   18.3   209   17.1 
2026-06-01 00:00 UT   02 52 30.0   -25 44 40     3.049    2.581   53.7   18.5   210   17.1 
2026-06-02 00:00 UT   02 53 13.8   -25 35 38     3.032    2.572   54.1   18.6   210   17.1 
2026-06-03 00:00 UT   02 53 57.4   -25 26 43     3.016    2.562   54.4   18.8   211   17.0 
2026-06-04 00:00 UT   02 54 40.9   -25 17 53     2.999    2.553   54.8   19.0   212   17.0 

    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between comet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km      
    

Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.