Comet 116P/Wild 4
Comet 116P/Wild 4 Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 116P/Wild 4 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 116P/Wild 4 Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 116P/Wild 4 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 116P/Wild 4 Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 116P/Wild 4 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 116P/Wild 4 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 116P/Wild 4 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 116P/Wild 4 Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 116P/Wild 4 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 116P/Wild 4 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 08 | 23h 35m 53s | -03° 45’ 05” | 23.49 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 23h 36m 05s | -03° 43’ 19” | 23.50 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 23h 36m 16s | -03° 41’ 29” | 23.51 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 23h 36m 29s | -03° 39’ 33” | 23.52 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 23h 36m 42s | -03° 37’ 35” | 23.53 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 23h 36m 57s | -03° 35’ 30” | 23.54 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 23h 37m 12s | -03° 33’ 21” | 23.55 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 23h 37m 27s | -03° 31’ 09” | 23.56 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 23h 37m 44s | -03° 28’ 51” | 23.57 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 23h 38m 00s | -03° 26’ 30” | 23.58 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 23h 38m 18s | -03° 24’ 03” | 23.58 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 19 | 23h 38m 38s | -03° 21’ 33” | 23.59 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 20 | 23h 38m 57s | -03° 19’ 00” | 23.60 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 21 | 23h 39m 15s | -03° 16’ 20” | 23.61 | Pisces |
Distance of Comet 116P/Wild 4 from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 116P/Wild 4 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 116P/Wild 4 is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 116P/Wild 4
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 116P/Wild 4, 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 116P/Wild 4 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 116P/Wild 4 at epoch 13 February 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457432.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.37239332 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.60791149° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.18709943 AU 327,185,418 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.78255050 AU 715,459,373 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.48482496 AU 521,322,395 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5100 years 2,376.1283 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Jan-11 13:00:42 2,457,399.0422 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Jul-14 16:05 2,459,775.1704 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 173.31491372023° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 20.992465715482° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 5.0690955215247° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15150697°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2061-Mar-15 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.02181726 AU 152,861,686 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.