Comet 116P/Wild
Comet 116P/Wild is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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 116P/Wild from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 116P/Wild is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 19.26° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 116P/Wild 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 116P/Wild is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 116P/Wild?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 116P/Wild in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 116P/Wild from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 116P/Wild 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 116P/Wild from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 116P/Wild to Earth happens on Sun Apr 15 2085 at a distance of 0.522534 Astronomical Units, or 78,170,026 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 116P/Wild, 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 116P/Wild at epoch 28 January 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457416.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.37240498 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.60790395° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.18709462 AU 327,184,699 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.78266945 AU 715,477,168 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.48488204 AU 521,330,933 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5056 years 2,376.1866 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Jan-11 12:58:01 2,457,399.0403 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Jul-14 17:26 2,459,775.2269 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 173.31462537495° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 20.992247982298° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 2.6452016617231° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15150325°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 116P/Wild in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 116P/Wild 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Oct 02 | 22h 41m 50s | -11° 09’ 32” | 21.38 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 03 | 22h 41m 21s | -11° 11’ 35” | 21.39 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 04 | 22h 40m 53s | -11° 13’ 33” | 21.39 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 05 | 22h 40m 26s | -11° 15’ 26” | 21.40 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 06 | 22h 40m 00s | -11° 17’ 14” | 21.41 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 07 | 22h 39m 34s | -11° 18’ 57” | 21.42 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 08 | 22h 39m 09s | -11° 20’ 34” | 21.43 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 09 | 22h 38m 45s | -11° 22’ 06” | 21.44 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 10 | 22h 38m 22s | -11° 23’ 34” | 21.45 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 11 | 22h 37m 59s | -11° 24’ 56” | 21.46 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 12 | 22h 37m 38s | -11° 26’ 12” | 21.47 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 13 | 22h 37m 17s | -11° 27’ 24” | 21.48 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 14 | 22h 36m 57s | -11° 28’ 30” | 21.50 | Aquarius |
| 2024 Oct 15 | 22h 36m 38s | -11° 29’ 30” | 21.51 | Aquarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 116P/Wild?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 116P/Wild from Earth?)
- When does Comet 116P/Wild rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 116P/Wild?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 116P/Wild orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 116P/Wild with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 116P/Wild for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 116P/Wild in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 116P/Wild with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.