Comet 255P/Levy
Comet 255P/Levy is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius, at a distance of 580,991,880 kilometers from Earth.
View interactive star map
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 255P/Levy from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 255P/Levy is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 6° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 255P/Levy is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Comet 255P/Levy Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 255P/Levy is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 255P/Levy?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 255P/Levy in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 255P/Levy Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 255P/Levy from Earth is currently 580,991,880 kilometers, equivalent to 3.883691 Astronomical Units. Light takes 32 minutes and 17.9803 seconds to travel from Comet 255P/Levy and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 255P/Levy 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 255P/Levy from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 255P/Levy to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 255P/Levy to Earth happens on Tue Oct 23 2057 at a distance of 0.268714 Astronomical Units, or 40,199,113 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 255P/Levy Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 255P/Levy, 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 255P/Levy Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 255P/Levy at epoch 21 December 2007 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454456.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.67200978 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.33304279° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.99201756 AU 148,403,715 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.05705042 AU 756,523,976 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.02453399 AU 452,463,845 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.2601 years 1,921.2600 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2006-Oct-07 09:13:57 2,454,015.8847 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2012-Jan-10 15:28 2,455,937.1446 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 179.59295524389° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 279.78004827491° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 82.561190982814° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18737704°/day |
Visualization of Comet 255P/Levy Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 255P/Levy with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 255P/Levy 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 255P/Levy in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 255P/Levy 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 255P/Levy computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 255P/Levy in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 18h 28m 32s | -25° 56’ 16” | 39.67 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 02 | 18h 28m 10s | -25° 56’ 08” | 39.68 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 03 | 18h 27m 47s | -25° 56’ 00” | 39.68 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 04 | 18h 27m 23s | -25° 55’ 54” | 39.69 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 05 | 18h 26m 57s | -25° 55’ 45” | 39.69 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 06 | 18h 26m 30s | -25° 55’ 37” | 39.69 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 07 | 18h 26m 03s | -25° 55’ 30” | 39.70 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 08 | 18h 25m 35s | -25° 55’ 20” | 39.70 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 09 | 18h 25m 05s | -25° 55’ 12” | 39.71 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 10 | 18h 24m 36s | -25° 55’ 03” | 39.71 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 11 | 18h 24m 03s | -25° 54’ 52” | 39.72 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 12 | 18h 23m 31s | -25° 54’ 42” | 39.72 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 13 | 18h 22m 59s | -25° 54’ 32” | 39.73 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 14 | 18h 22m 24s | -25° 54’ 20” | 39.73 | Sagittarius |