Comet 125P/Spacewatch
Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 125P/Spacewatch?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 125P/Spacewatch is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch to Earth happens on Tue Jun 5 2046 at a distance of 0.603963 Astronomical Units, or 90,351,522 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 125P/Spacewatch, 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 125P/Spacewatch at epoch 10 August 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457245.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.51269168 |
Orbit inclination | i | 9.98803083° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.52318697 AU 227,865,528 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
4.72824316 AU 707,335,110 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.12571506 AU 467,600,319 km |
Orbital period | period |
5.5263 years 2,018.4710 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Feb-17 02:03:36 2,456,340.5858 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2018-Aug-28 13:21 2,458,359.0568 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 87.145345387849° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 153.19518929323° |
Mean anomaly | M | 161.39399741041° |
Mean motion | n | 0.17835283°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 125P/Spacewatch in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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 Jan 30 | 23h 21m 05s | -08° 02’ 07” | 23.58 | Aquarius |
2025 Jan 31 | 23h 22m 24s | -07° 54’ 37” | 23.60 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 01 | 23h 23m 42s | -07° 47’ 08” | 23.62 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 02 | 23h 25m 01s | -07° 39’ 36” | 23.64 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 03 | 23h 26m 20s | -07° 32’ 05” | 23.66 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 04 | 23h 27m 39s | -07° 24’ 33” | 23.68 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 05 | 23h 28m 57s | -07° 17’ 01” | 23.70 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 06 | 23h 30m 16s | -07° 09’ 27” | 23.72 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 07 | 23h 31m 35s | -07° 01’ 55” | 23.74 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 08 | 23h 32m 53s | -06° 54’ 22” | 23.75 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 09 | 23h 34m 12s | -06° 46’ 47” | 23.77 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 10 | 23h 35m 30s | -06° 39’ 14” | 23.79 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 11 | 23h 36m 49s | -06° 31’ 40” | 23.81 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 12 | 23h 38m 07s | -06° 24’ 06” | 23.83 | Aquarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 125P/Spacewatch?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 125P/Spacewatch from Earth?)
- When does Comet 125P/Spacewatch rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 125P/Spacewatch?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 125P/Spacewatch orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 125P/Spacewatch with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 125P/Spacewatch for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 125P/Spacewatch in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 125P/Spacewatch with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.