Comet 104P/Kowal
Comet 104P/Kowal is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 104P/Kowal is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 104P/Kowal?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 104P/Kowal in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 104P/Kowal from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 104P/Kowal is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 104P/Kowal is visible only through long exposure photography.
- 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 104P/Kowal from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 104P/Kowal 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 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 104P/Kowal to Earth happens on Tue Jan 11 2050 at a distance of 0.102871 Astronomical Units, or 15,389,324 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 104P/Kowal, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 104P/Kowal at epoch 28 September 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459486.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.66545272 |
Orbit inclination | i | 5.70109005° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.07309842 AU 160,533,238 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.34212883 AU 799,171,100 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.20761362 AU 479,852,169 km |
Orbital period | period |
5.7449 years 2,098.3189 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Jan-11 14:49:09 2,459,591.1175 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2027-Oct-10 22:28 2,461,689.4364 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 227.24588764598° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 207.21352564177° |
Mean anomaly | M | 342.05120779257° |
Mean motion | n | 0.17156591°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 104P/Kowal in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 104P/Kowal computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Jan 31 | 17h 40m 20s | -19° 26’ 40” | 27.74 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 01 | 17h 41m 01s | -19° 26’ 21” | 27.74 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 02 | 17h 41m 41s | -19° 26’ 01” | 27.73 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 03 | 17h 42m 20s | -19° 25’ 40” | 27.73 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 04 | 17h 42m 59s | -19° 25’ 17” | 27.72 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 05 | 17h 43m 38s | -19° 24’ 53” | 27.72 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 06 | 17h 44m 17s | -19° 24’ 27” | 27.71 | Ophiuchus |
2025 Feb 07 | 17h 44m 55s | -19° 24’ 01” | 27.71 | Sagittarius |
2025 Feb 08 | 17h 45m 32s | -19° 23’ 34” | 27.70 | Sagittarius |
2025 Feb 09 | 17h 46m 09s | -19° 23’ 04” | 27.70 | Sagittarius |
2025 Feb 10 | 17h 46m 46s | -19° 22’ 34” | 27.69 | Sagittarius |
2025 Feb 11 | 17h 47m 22s | -19° 22’ 02” | 27.69 | Sagittarius |
2025 Feb 12 | 17h 47m 58s | -19° 21’ 29” | 27.68 | Sagittarius |
2025 Feb 13 | 17h 48m 33s | -19° 20’ 55” | 27.67 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 104P/Kowal?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 104P/Kowal from Earth?)
- When does Comet 104P/Kowal rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 104P/Kowal?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 104P/Kowal orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 104P/Kowal with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 104P/Kowal for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 104P/Kowal in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 104P/Kowal with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.