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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:55  
clear_day Transit: 12:49  
SunsetSet: 18:41 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet 125P/Spacewatch

Altitude: -26.0°   Azimuth: 38.2°   Direction: North-East

Comet 125P/Spacewatch is currently in the constellation of Leo. The current Right Ascension of Comet 125P/Spacewatch is 11h 15m 58s and the Declination is +05° 34’ 35” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 125P/Spacewatch is 20.62 (JPL).

11h 15m 58s
+05° 34’ 35”
Leo
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
20.62

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 125P/Spacewatch from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 84.4°
Max altitude: 44.0°
Azimuth: 275.5°
  • 125P/Spacewatch is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • 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.

Available Resources

Comet 125P/Spacewatch Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch in Leo on September,29 2023
Map showing Comet 125P/Spacewatch in Leo on September, 29 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 125P/Spacewatch
Map showing Comet 125P/Spacewatch in Leo on September, 29 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher 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.

125P/Spacewatch
RA: 11h 15m 58s
Dec: +05° 34’ 35”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 125P/Spacewatch
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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.

Comet 125P/Spacewatch Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 125P/Spacewatch from Earth is currently 458,490,474 kilometers, equivalent to 3.064820 Astronomical Units. Light takes 25 minutes and 29.3596 seconds to travel from Comet 125P/Spacewatch and arrive to us.

458,490,474
3.064820
25 minutes and 29.3596 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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 125P/Spacewatch from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 125P/Spacewatch to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 125P/Spacewatch to Earth happens on Tue Jun 5 2046 at a distance of 0.603973 Astronomical Units, or 90,353,137 kilometers:

Tue Jun 5 2046
90,353,137
0.603973

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

Comet 125P/Spacewatch Brightness and 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 125P/Spacewatch as a function of time

Comet 125P/Spacewatch Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 125P/Spacewatch at epoch 10 August 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455419.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.51204018
Orbit inclination i 9.98645795°
Perihelion distance q 1.52521199 AU
228,168,467 km
Aphelion distance Q 4.72617160 AU
707,025,209 km
Semi-major axis a 3.12569180 AU
467,596,838 km
Orbital period period 5.5262 years
2,018.4484 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2013-Feb-17 09:11:49
2,456,340.8832 JD
Next perihelion transit 2018-Aug-28 19:57
2,458,359.3316 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 87.293598440358°
Longitude of the ascending node node 153.1877488062°
Mean anomaly M 195.66686432852°
Mean motion n 0.17835482°/day

Visualization of Comet 125P/Spacewatch Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 125P/Spacewatch with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 125P/Spacewatch
View Comet 125P/Spacewatch in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 125P/Spacewatch 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 125P/Spacewatch in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 22 11h 01m 32s +06° 47’ 21” 20.80 Leo
2023 Sep 23 11h 03m 33s +06° 37’ 12” 20.78 Leo
2023 Sep 24 11h 05m 35s +06° 26’ 58” 20.75 Leo
2023 Sep 25 11h 07m 38s +06° 16’ 42” 20.73 Leo
2023 Sep 26 11h 09m 42s +06° 06’ 23” 20.70 Leo
2023 Sep 27 11h 11m 44s +05° 55’ 59” 20.67 Leo
2023 Sep 28 11h 13m 49s +05° 45’ 33” 20.65 Leo
2023 Sep 29 11h 15m 52s +05° 35’ 03” 20.62 Leo
2023 Sep 30 11h 17m 57s +05° 24’ 32” 20.60 Leo
2023 Oct 01 11h 20m 02s +05° 13’ 55” 20.57 Leo
2023 Oct 02 11h 22m 06s +05° 03’ 16” 20.54 Leo
2023 Oct 03 11h 24m 12s +04° 52’ 35” 20.52 Leo
2023 Oct 04 11h 26m 18s +04° 41’ 48” 20.49 Leo
2023 Oct 05 11h 28m 24s +04° 31’ 00” 20.46 Leo