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Comet

Shoemaker-Levy

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D/1993 F2-Q2 (Shoemaker-Levy 9)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
6.263 AU
True anomaly
280.32°
Distance from Earth
6.62 AU
As of
22 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Orbit of Mercury Orbit of Venus Orbit of Mars Sun Earth — 0.995 AU from the Sun Earth Shoemaker-Levy — 6.263 AU from the Sun Shoemaker-Levy
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Shoemaker-Levy is 6.62 AU from Earth today (55.1 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
09h 40m 36s
Declination
+08° 05′ 57″
Constellation
Leo
Distance from Earth
6.6 AU
Elongation from the Sun
65.7° — well clear of the Sun

Visible from both hemispheres.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
6.787 AU
Eccentricity
0.2075
Inclination
5.82°
Orbital period
17.68 years
Perihelion
5.379 AU
Aphelion
8.196 AU
Longitude of ascending node
220.92°
Argument of periapsis
355.01°
Epoch · J2000
2449480.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 1,701.8 LD
4.3729 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.99

Discovery & classification

Also known as 1993 F2-Q2 · Shoemaker-Levy 9

Named

Sources