Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is currently in the constellation of Centaurus, at a distance of 7,599,766,062 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 C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom
- C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) from Earth is currently 7,599,766,062 kilometers, equivalent to 50.801298 Astronomical Units. Light takes 7 hours, 2 minutes and 30.0909 seconds to travel from Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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 C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) to Earth happens on Wed Apr 24 2013 at a distance of 36.164740 Astronomical Units, or 5,410,168,144 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), 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 C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) at epoch 14 March 1996 00:00 UTC (JD: 2450157.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99989165 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 124.92204939° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.23022353 AU 34,440,950 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4,249.28066526 AU 635,683,340,804 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2,124.75544439 AU 317,858,890,877 km |
| Orbital period | period |
97,942.5999 years 35,773,534.6234 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1996-May-01 09:27:34 2,450,204.8941 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 99940-Dec-11 00:25 38,223,739.5176 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 130.1751209781° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 188.04513199216° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99952305825° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00001006°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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 C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 10 | 13h 43m 33s | -59° 18’ 47” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 11 | 13h 43m 26s | -59° 18’ 11” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 12 | 13h 43m 18s | -59° 17’ 35” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 13 | 13h 43m 09s | -59° 16’ 59” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 14 | 13h 43m 02s | -59° 16’ 22” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 15 | 13h 42m 55s | -59° 15’ 43” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 16 | 13h 42m 47s | -59° 15’ 05” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 17 | 13h 42m 39s | -59° 14’ 26” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 18 | 13h 42m 33s | -59° 13’ 45” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 19 | 13h 42m 24s | -59° 13’ 05” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 20 | 13h 42m 18s | -59° 12’ 24” | 34.33 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 21 | 13h 42m 11s | -59° 11’ 42” | 34.34 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 22 | 13h 42m 03s | -59° 10’ 59” | 34.34 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 23 | 13h 41m 57s | -59° 10’ 15” | 34.34 | Centaurus |