Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu
Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu is in the constellation of
Taurus,
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 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 54.71° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 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 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 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 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 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 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu to Earth happens on Sun Jul 3 2022 at a distance of 2.030851 Astronomical Units, or 303,811,017 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 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu, 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 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu at epoch 26 February 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457811.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.25437763 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 8.70068183° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.05209567 AU 456,587,015 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.13461062 AU 768,126,816 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.09335314 AU 612,356,916 km |
| Orbital period | period |
8.2818 years 3,024.9434 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Mar-26 18:07:22 2,456,743.2551 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Jul-07 16:45 2,459,768.1985 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 222.51149215237° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 58.874006259934° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 127.13234976963° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.11901049°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 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 Sep 14 | 03h 41m 01s | +17° 07’ 32” | 18.11 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 15 | 03h 40m 59s | +17° 07’ 53” | 18.11 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 16 | 03h 40m 55s | +17° 08’ 11” | 18.11 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 17 | 03h 40m 51s | +17° 08’ 27” | 18.10 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 18 | 03h 40m 46s | +17° 08’ 40” | 18.10 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 19 | 03h 40m 39s | +17° 08’ 50” | 18.09 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 20 | 03h 40m 32s | +17° 08’ 58” | 18.09 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 21 | 03h 40m 24s | +17° 09’ 03” | 18.09 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 22 | 03h 40m 15s | +17° 09’ 05” | 18.08 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 23 | 03h 40m 05s | +17° 09’ 04” | 18.08 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 24 | 03h 39m 54s | +17° 09’ 02” | 18.08 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 25 | 03h 39m 41s | +17° 08’ 55” | 18.07 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 26 | 03h 39m 29s | +17° 08’ 47” | 18.07 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 27 | 03h 39m 15s | +17° 08’ 36” | 18.07 | Taurus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu from Earth?)
- When does Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.