Comet 2P/Encke is a periodic comet that takes about 3.3 years to complete one orbit around the Sun. It was first discovered by Pierre MĂ©chain on January 17, 1786, and was later independently rediscovered by Johann Franz Encke on November 2, 1818. The comet is named after Encke, who calculated its orbit and predicted its return in 1822. Comet 2P/Encke has a relatively short orbital period and its orbit is known for being influenced by the gravitational pull of Jupiter. It has an average distance from the Sun of about 2.2 astronomical units (AU) and an eccentricity of 0.85, which means its perihelion distance is only 0.34 AU while its aphelion distance is around 3.5 AU. Comet 2P/Encke is known for being a source of the Taurid meteor shower, which occurs every year in late October and early November as Earth passes through the dust and debris left behind by the comet.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet 2P/Encke in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet 2P/Encke
Comet 2P/Encke is in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 2P/Encke in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet 2P/Encke against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet 2P/Encke from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of comet 2P/Encke from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet 2P/Encke from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 2P/Encke from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 1900 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet 2P/Encke to Earth happened on Saturday 5 July 1997 at a distance of 0.190257 Astronomical Units, or 28,462,061 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet 2P/Encke, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet 2P/Encke at epoch January, 06 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457760.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.84833408 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.77822630° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.33590100 AU 50,250,075 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.09358455 AU 612,391,533 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.21474278 AU 331,320,804 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.2960 years 1,203.8805 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | March 10, 2017 2,457,822.5925 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | June 25, 2020 2,459,026.4730 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 186.56269392° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 334.56005331322° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 341.43228384528° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29903301°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet 2P/Encke relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet 2P/Encke computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 09 2025 | 23h 42m 03s | +00° 03’ 59” | 21.05 | Pisces |
| Jul 10 2025 | 23h 41m 51s | +00° 03’ 50” | 21.04 | Pisces |
| Jul 11 2025 | 23h 41m 38s | +00° 03’ 36” | 21.03 | Pisces |
| Jul 12 2025 | 23h 41m 24s | +00° 03’ 14” | 21.02 | Pisces |
| Jul 13 2025 | 23h 41m 08s | +00° 02’ 47” | 21.01 | Pisces |
| Jul 14 2025 | 23h 40m 52s | +00° 02’ 13” | 21.00 | Pisces |
| Jul 15 2025 | 23h 40m 35s | +00° 01’ 32” | 20.99 | Pisces |
| Jul 16 2025 | 23h 40m 16s | +00° 00’ 46” | 20.98 | Pisces |
| Jul 17 2025 | 23h 39m 57s | -00° 00’ 06” | 20.97 | Pisces |
| Jul 18 2025 | 23h 39m 36s | -00° 01’ 05” | 20.96 | Pisces |
| Jul 19 2025 | 23h 39m 15s | -00° 02’ 11” | 20.95 | Pisces |
| Jul 20 2025 | 23h 38m 52s | -00° 03’ 23” | 20.94 | Pisces |
| Jul 21 2025 | 23h 38m 29s | -00° 04’ 42” | 20.94 | Pisces |
| Jul 22 2025 | 23h 38m 04s | -00° 06’ 08” | 20.93 | Pisces |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 2P/Encke: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet 2P/Encke?: Key information on where to find comet 2P/Encke in the sky.
- Distance of comet 2P/Encke from Earth: Find out how far comet 2P/Encke is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet 2P/Encke?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet 2P/Encke from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet 2P/Encke's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet 2P/Encke's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet 2P/Encke's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet 2P/Encke orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet 2P/Encke with respect to the major Solar System objects.