Comet 263P/Gibbs
Comet 263P/Gibbs is currently in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of 515,042,545 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 263P/Gibbs from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 263P/Gibbs is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 263P/Gibbs is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 263P/Gibbs 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 263P/Gibbs is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 263P/Gibbs?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 263P/Gibbs in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 263P/Gibbs Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 263P/Gibbs from Earth is currently 515,042,545 kilometers, equivalent to 3.442847 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 37.9970 seconds to travel from Comet 263P/Gibbs and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 263P/Gibbs 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 263P/Gibbs from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 263P/Gibbs to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 263P/Gibbs to Earth happens on Sun Feb 2 2087 at a distance of 0.322667 Astronomical Units, or 48,270,311 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 263P/Gibbs Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 263P/Gibbs, 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 263P/Gibbs Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 263P/Gibbs at epoch 12 September 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456548.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.58746564 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.53600639° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.26317796 AU 188,968,733 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.86081105 AU 727,166,985 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.06199450 AU 458,067,859 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3581 years 1,957.0640 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-May-20 22:23:14 2,456,068.4328 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Sep-28 23:55 2,458,025.4968 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 34.5024715632° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 105.87223624995° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 88.307886868955° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18394901°/day |
Visualization of Comet 263P/Gibbs Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 263P/Gibbs with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 263P/Gibbs 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 263P/Gibbs in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 263P/Gibbs 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 263P/Gibbs computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 263P/Gibbs in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 29 | 20h 09m 16s | -20° 00’ 43” | 24.25 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 20h 09m 28s | -20° 01’ 24” | 24.25 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 01 | 20h 09m 38s | -20° 02’ 08” | 24.24 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 02 | 20h 09m 46s | -20° 02’ 57” | 24.24 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 03 | 20h 09m 53s | -20° 03’ 50” | 24.23 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 04 | 20h 10m 00s | -20° 04’ 45” | 24.23 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 05 | 20h 10m 05s | -20° 05’ 44” | 24.22 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 06 | 20h 10m 10s | -20° 06’ 48” | 24.22 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 07 | 20h 10m 14s | -20° 07’ 57” | 24.21 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 08 | 20h 10m 15s | -20° 09’ 07” | 24.21 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 09 | 20h 10m 17s | -20° 10’ 23” | 24.20 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 10 | 20h 10m 17s | -20° 11’ 44” | 24.20 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 11 | 20h 10m 15s | -20° 13’ 06” | 24.19 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 12 | 20h 10m 13s | -20° 14’ 35” | 24.19 | Capricornus |