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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:51  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:00 south
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Comets » 

Comet 116P/Wild

Comet 116P/Wild is currently in the constellation of Capricornus.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 116P/Wild is 20h 07m 33s and the Declination is -25° 04’ 08” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 116P/Wild is 17.55 (JPL).

20h 07m 33s
-25° 04’ 08”
Capricornus
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
17.55

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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 116P/Wild from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 115.0°
Max altitude: 13.5°
Azimuth: 244.9°
  • 116P/Wild is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 116P/Wild is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

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Available Resources

Comet 116P/Wild Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 116P/Wild finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.

Finder chart of 116P/Wild in Capricornus on May,29 2023
Map showing Comet 116P/Wild in Capricornus on May, 29 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 116P/Wild
Map showing Comet 116P/Wild in Capricornus on May, 29 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher 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.

116P/Wild
RA: 20h 07m 33s
Dec: -25° 04’ 08”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 116P/Wild
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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.

Comet 116P/Wild Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 116P/Wild from Earth is currently 337,125,388 kilometers, equivalent to 2.253544 Astronomical Units. Light takes 18 minutes and 44.5293 seconds to travel from Comet 116P/Wild and arrive to us.

337,125,388
2.253544
18 minutes and 44.5293 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 116P/Wild from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 of Comet 116P/Wild to Earth

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:

Sun Apr 15 2085
78,170,026
0.522534

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 116P/Wild Brightness and 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 116P/Wild as a function of time

Comet 116P/Wild 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

Visualization of Comet 116P/Wild Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 116P/Wild with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 116P/Wild 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!

Comet 116P/Wild 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 116P/Wild in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 22 20h 08m 13s -24° 51’ 01” 17.53 Capricornus
2023 May 23 20h 08m 13s -24° 52’ 31” 17.53 Capricornus
2023 May 24 20h 08m 12s -24° 54’ 05” 17.53 Capricornus
2023 May 25 20h 08m 08s -24° 55’ 44” 17.54 Capricornus
2023 May 26 20h 08m 03s -24° 57’ 25” 17.54 Capricornus
2023 May 27 20h 07m 57s -24° 59’ 11” 17.54 Capricornus
2023 May 28 20h 07m 49s -25° 01’ 00” 17.54 Capricornus
2023 May 29 20h 07m 40s -25° 02’ 53” 17.54 Capricornus
2023 May 30 20h 07m 28s -25° 04’ 50” 17.55 Sagittarius
2023 May 31 20h 07m 15s -25° 06’ 51” 17.55 Sagittarius
2023 Jun 01 20h 07m 01s -25° 08’ 54” 17.55 Sagittarius
2023 Jun 02 20h 06m 46s -25° 11’ 02” 17.55 Sagittarius
2023 Jun 03 20h 06m 29s -25° 13’ 13” 17.55 Sagittarius
2023 Jun 04 20h 06m 11s -25° 15’ 25” 17.56 Sagittarius