Comet 116P/Wild
Comet 116P/Wild is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
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.
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 below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- 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.
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 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 116P/Wild to Earth happens on Sat Apr 14 2085 at a distance of 0.527412 Astronomical Units, or 78,899,663 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 15 April 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457494.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.37227703 |
Orbit inclination | i | 3.60784374° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.18708578 AU 327,183,376 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
4.78122950 AU 715,261,754 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.48415764 AU 521,222,565 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.5036 years 2,375.4458 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Jan-11 12:37:31 2,457,399.0261 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2022-Jul-13 23:19 2,459,774.4718 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 173.31072730318° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 20.991856003706° |
Mean anomaly | M | 14.469123049665° |
Mean motion | n | 0.15155050°/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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 02 | 23h 17m 29s | -06° 03’ 59” | 22.72 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 03 | 23h 18m 18s | -05° 58’ 26” | 22.73 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 04 | 23h 19m 07s | -05° 52’ 52” | 22.74 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 05 | 23h 19m 56s | -05° 47’ 16” | 22.74 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 06 | 23h 20m 45s | -05° 41’ 40” | 22.75 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 07 | 23h 21m 35s | -05° 36’ 02” | 22.75 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 08 | 23h 22m 24s | -05° 30’ 23” | 22.76 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 09 | 23h 23m 14s | -05° 24’ 43” | 22.77 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 10 | 23h 24m 04s | -05° 19’ 03” | 22.77 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 11 | 23h 24m 54s | -05° 13’ 21” | 22.78 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 12 | 23h 25m 45s | -05° 07’ 37” | 22.78 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 13 | 23h 26m 35s | -05° 01’ 54” | 22.79 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 14 | 23h 27m 26s | -04° 56’ 09” | 22.79 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 15 | 23h 28m 16s | -04° 50’ 23” | 22.80 | 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.