Comet 126P/IRAS
Comet 126P/IRAS is currently in the constellation of Camelopardalis, at a distance of 589,710,091 kilometers from Earth.
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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 126P/IRAS from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 126P/IRAS is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the North-East direction at an altitude of 42° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 126P/IRAS is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 126P/IRAS Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 126P/IRAS is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 126P/IRAS?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 126P/IRAS in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 126P/IRAS Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 126P/IRAS from Earth is currently 589,710,091 kilometers, equivalent to 3.941968 Astronomical Units. Light takes 32 minutes and 47.0611 seconds to travel from Comet 126P/IRAS and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 126P/IRAS 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 126P/IRAS from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 126P/IRAS to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 126P/IRAS to Earth happens on Sun Sep 21 2036 at a distance of 0.789425 Astronomical Units, or 118,096,354 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 126P/IRAS Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 126P/IRAS, 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.
Comet 126P/IRAS Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 126P/IRAS at epoch 11 February 2004 00:00 UTC (JD: 2453047.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.69509313 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 45.83522604° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.71615658 AU 256,733,371 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
9.54076633 AU 1,427,278,331 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
5.62846146 AU 842,005,851 km |
| Orbital period | period |
13.3534 years 4,877.3393 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Mar-01 19:40:55 2,455,257.3201 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Jul-09 03:49 2,460,134.6594 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 356.95544266392° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 357.75030176032° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 196.89155527505° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.07381073°/day |
Visualization of Comet 126P/IRAS Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 126P/IRAS with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 126P/IRAS 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!
View Comet 126P/IRAS in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 126P/IRAS 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 126P/IRAS computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 126P/IRAS in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 30 | 05h 09m 51s | +61° 36’ 15” | 20.68 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 01 | 05h 12m 42s | +61° 33’ 05” | 20.70 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 02 | 05h 15m 33s | +61° 29’ 48” | 20.72 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 03 | 05h 18m 24s | +61° 26’ 30” | 20.74 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 04 | 05h 21m 14s | +61° 23’ 07” | 20.77 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 05 | 05h 24m 03s | +61° 19’ 40” | 20.79 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 06 | 05h 26m 53s | +61° 16’ 09” | 20.81 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 07 | 05h 29m 40s | +61° 12’ 34” | 20.83 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 08 | 05h 32m 29s | +61° 08’ 56” | 20.86 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 09 | 05h 35m 16s | +61° 05’ 13” | 20.88 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 10 | 05h 38m 03s | +61° 01’ 27” | 20.90 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 11 | 05h 40m 49s | +60° 57’ 38” | 20.92 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 12 | 05h 43m 33s | +60° 53’ 45” | 20.95 | Camelopardalis |
| 2024 May 13 | 05h 46m 18s | +60° 49’ 49” | 20.97 | Camelopardalis |