Comet 246P/NEAT
Comet 246P/NEAT is currently in the constellation of Taurus, at a distance of 909,295,511 kilometers from Earth.
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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 246P/NEAT from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 246P/NEAT is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 246P/NEAT is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 246P/NEAT is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 246P/NEAT?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 246P/NEAT in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 246P/NEAT Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 246P/NEAT from Earth is currently 909,295,511 kilometers, equivalent to 6.078265 Astronomical Units. Light takes 50 minutes and 33.0833 seconds to travel from Comet 246P/NEAT and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 246P/NEAT 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 246P/NEAT from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 246P/NEAT to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 246P/NEAT to Earth happens on Thu Jul 1 2021 at a distance of 1.944326 Astronomical Units, or 290,867,032 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 246P/NEAT Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 246P/NEAT, 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 246P/NEAT Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 246P/NEAT at epoch 28 February 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456352.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.28506336 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 15.97175634° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.87976142 AU 430,806,177 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.17622915 AU 774,352,860 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.02799528 AU 602,579,519 km |
| Orbital period | period |
8.0843 years 2,952.7852 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Jan-28 16:33:30 2,456,321.1899 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Feb-28 11:24 2,459,273.9751 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 176.18444314559° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 78.780551294862° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 3.8172849844056° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12191879°/day |
Visualization of Comet 246P/NEAT Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 246P/NEAT with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 246P/NEAT 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 246P/NEAT in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 246P/NEAT 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 246P/NEAT computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 246P/NEAT in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 10 | 03h 29m 12s | +13° 33’ 59” | 20.15 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 11 | 03h 30m 03s | +13° 38’ 14” | 20.16 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 12 | 03h 30m 56s | +13° 42’ 30” | 20.16 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 13 | 03h 31m 47s | +13° 46’ 45” | 20.16 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 14 | 03h 32m 39s | +13° 50’ 57” | 20.16 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 15 | 03h 33m 32s | +13° 55’ 06” | 20.16 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 16 | 03h 34m 23s | +13° 59’ 16” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 17 | 03h 35m 16s | +14° 03’ 24” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 18 | 03h 36m 06s | +14° 07’ 28” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 19 | 03h 36m 59s | +14° 11’ 34” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 20 | 03h 37m 50s | +14° 15’ 35” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 21 | 03h 38m 43s | +14° 19’ 36” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 22 | 03h 39m 34s | +14° 23’ 35” | 20.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 23 | 03h 40m 27s | +14° 27’ 33” | 20.17 | Taurus |