Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Unclassified Comet
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (60.00 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is a large comet whose orbit does not match any defined comet orbit class. NASA JPL has not classified Hale-Bopp as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Hale-Bopp orbits the sun every 863,000 days (2,362.77 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 353.91 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Hale-Bopp is about 60.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

No Close Approaches

Hale-Bopp's orbit is 0.09 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

Hale-Bopp's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 27, 1993. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 66 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This comet is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2459837.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 177.4 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.995
  • Inclination: 89.29°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 282.73°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 130.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 3.88°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 60.00000 km
  • Magnitude: 4.8
  • Albedo: 0.04

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 863,000 days (2,362.77 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 2.24 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 353.91 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.