Comet 10P/Tempel: View from Namibia

Comet 10P/Tempel: View from Namibia

Astrophotographer Gerald Rhemann: "Comet with dust trail and ion tails."

Comet 10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a large Jupiter-family comet roughly 10 km in diameter with a 5.36 year orbit around the Sun. Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) are short-period comets with orbital periods under 20 years, whose orbits are strongly influenced by planet Jupiter’s immense gravity. 10P/Tempel was discovered on July 4, 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel. Perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) passage was on August 2, 2026. The nearest approach to Earth occurred on August 3, 2026, at a distance of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km). The comet should now be visible with binoculars.

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the northeast, approximating a quadripoint, Zimbabwe lies less than 200 meters (660 feet) away along the Zambezi River near Kazungula, Zambia.

Image Credit: Gerald Rhemann and Michael Jäger
Location: Farm Tivoli, Namibia
Image Details: Telescope—ASA Astrograph 12" f3.6 Camera: ZWO ASI 6200 MM Pro Exp.Time: LRGB 36/12/12/12 min.
Date: Aug. 8, 2026 

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