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.
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 Rise and Set Times
Comet 104P/Kowal 2 is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
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 | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Sep 14 | 14.31 | 13h 51m 57s | -60° 46’ 41” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 15 | 14.23 | 13h 51m 20s | -60° 10’ 18” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 16 | 14.15 | 13h 50m 44s | -59° 34’ 04” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 17 | 14.06 | 13h 50m 12s | -58° 57’ 52” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 18 | 13.98 | 13h 49m 42s | -58° 21’ 46” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 19 | 13.89 | 13h 49m 14s | -57° 45’ 38” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 20 | 13.80 | 13h 48m 48s | -57° 09’ 30” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 21 | 13.70 | 13h 48m 24s | -56° 33’ 20” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 22 | 13.61 | 13h 48m 01s | -55° 57’ 02” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 23 | 13.51 | 13h 47m 38s | -55° 20’ 36” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 24 | 13.40 | 13h 47m 16s | -54° 43’ 59” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 25 | 13.29 | 13h 46m 54s | -54° 07’ 06” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 26 | 13.18 | 13h 46m 32s | -53° 29’ 54” | Centaurus |
| 2017 Sep 27 | 13.07 | 13h 46m 11s | -52° 52’ 18” | Centaurus |
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.
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* | 2028-Jun-17 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.32048723 AU 47,944,207 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.