Comet 104P/Kowal 2
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is currently in the constellation of Leo. The current Right Ascension of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is 09h 25m 13s and the Declination is +11° 29’ 39” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is 20.77 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 104P/Kowal 2 [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 104P/Kowal 2 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 48° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 104P/Kowal 2 is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 104P/Kowal 2 rise and set times.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Additional information about Comet 104P/Kowal 2 available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 104P/Kowal 2 finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 104P/Kowal 2?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 104P/Kowal 2 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 from Earth is currently 279,860,267 kilometers, equivalent to 1.870750 Astronomical Units. Light takes 15 minutes and 33.5134 seconds to travel from Comet 104P/Kowal 2 and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 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 104P/Kowal 2 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 to Earth happens on Sat Jan 1 2050 at a distance of 0.089069 Astronomical Units, or 13,324,484 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is 20.77.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 104P/Kowal 2, 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 104P/Kowal 2 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 104P/Kowal 2 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 at epoch 29 August 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459456.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.66548796 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 5.70071691° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.07310643 AU 160,534,437 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.34284451 AU 799,278,164 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.20797547 AU 479,906,300 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.7459 years 2,098.6740 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Jan-11 14:42:45 2,459,591.1130 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-Oct-11 06:53 2,461,689.7870 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 227.24010758854° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 207.21671037247° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 336.90890040478° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17153688°/day |
Visualization of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 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 104P/Kowal 2 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 104P/Kowal 2 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 May 16 | 09h 07m 40s | +12° 26’ 49” | 20.33 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 17 | 09h 09m 59s | +12° 19’ 41” | 20.38 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 18 | 09h 12m 16s | +12° 12’ 30” | 20.44 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 19 | 09h 14m 34s | +12° 05’ 15” | 20.50 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 20 | 09h 16m 50s | +11° 57’ 53” | 20.56 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 21 | 09h 19m 05s | +11° 50’ 30” | 20.61 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 22 | 09h 21m 20s | +11° 43’ 01” | 20.67 | Cancer |
| 2022 May 23 | 09h 23m 33s | +11° 35’ 30” | 20.72 | Leo |
| 2022 May 24 | 09h 25m 45s | +11° 27’ 55” | 20.78 | Leo |
| 2022 May 25 | 09h 27m 56s | +11° 20’ 15” | 20.84 | Leo |
| 2022 May 26 | 09h 30m 06s | +11° 12’ 33” | 20.89 | Leo |
| 2022 May 27 | 09h 32m 16s | +11° 04’ 46” | 20.95 | Leo |
| 2022 May 28 | 09h 34m 24s | +10° 56’ 57” | 21.00 | Leo |
| 2022 May 29 | 09h 36m 33s | +10° 49’ 04” | 21.05 | Leo |