Comet 104P/Kowal 2
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 104P/Kowal 2 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Orbit Diagram
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Jan 15 | 17h 13m 13s | -20° 13’ 04” | 25.35 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 16 | 17h 13m 58s | -20° 13’ 13” | 25.35 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 17 | 17h 14m 42s | -20° 13’ 19” | 25.34 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 18 | 17h 15m 25s | -20° 13’ 26” | 25.34 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 19 | 17h 16m 09s | -20° 13’ 30” | 25.34 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 20 | 17h 16m 51s | -20° 13’ 32” | 25.33 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 21 | 17h 17m 35s | -20° 13’ 35” | 25.33 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 22 | 17h 18m 17s | -20° 13’ 35” | 25.33 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 23 | 17h 19m 00s | -20° 13’ 32” | 25.32 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 24 | 17h 19m 41s | -20° 13’ 30” | 25.32 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 25 | 17h 20m 22s | -20° 13’ 24” | 25.32 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 26 | 17h 21m 03s | -20° 13’ 18” | 25.31 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 27 | 17h 21m 45s | -20° 13’ 11” | 25.31 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jan 28 | 17h 22m 24s | -20° 13’ 03” | 25.30 | Ophiucus |
Distance of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 104P/Kowal 2 is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 104P/Kowal 2
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 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 104P/Kowal 2 at epoch 30 July 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457600.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63866959 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.25426992° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.17912244 AU 176,394,207 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.34743828 AU 799,965,382 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.26328036 AU 488,179,795 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.9000 years 2,153.1784 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Mar-28 03:38:15 2,457,475.6516 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Feb-18 07:55 2,459,628.8299 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 200.67394770051° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 235.42076373542° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 20.873994859479° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.16719469°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2061-Jan-02 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.08765315 AU 13,112,724 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.