Comet 126P/IRAS

Comet 126P/IRAS is in the constellation of Ursa Major, at a distance of 973,433,217.0 kilometers from Earth. The current Right Ascension is 09h 49m 44s and the Declination is +43° 12’ 57” (apparent coordinates). The estimated magnitude of comet 126P/IRAS, computed using JPL Horizons's data, is 24.30).

Finder Charts

The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 126P/IRAS in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.

The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet 126P/IRAS against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.

Equatorial 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

The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet 126P/IRAS from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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 126P/IRAS from Earth is currently 973,433,217.0 kilometers, equivalent to 6.5069991467 Astronomical Units. Light takes 54m 7.024s to travel from comet 126P/IRAS and arrive to us.

The following graph shows the distance of comet 126P/IRAS from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.

The value of the distance of 126P/IRAS from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.

Closest Approach to Earth

In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet 126P/IRAS to Earth will happen on Sunday 21 September 2036 at a distance of 0.789938 Astronomical Units, or 118,172,990 kilometers:

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

Light Curve

The following chart shows the light curve of comet 126P/IRAS, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.

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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.

Date	Right AscensionR.A.	DeclinationDec.	MagnitudeMag	Constellation
Jun 20 2025	09h 44m 48s	+44° 07’ 32”	24.24	Ursa Major
Jun 21 2025	09h 45m 26s	+44° 00’ 08”	24.25	Ursa Major
Jun 22 2025	09h 46m 05s	+43° 52’ 46”	24.26	Ursa Major
Jun 23 2025	09h 46m 45s	+43° 45’ 26”	24.27	Ursa Major
Jun 24 2025	09h 47m 24s	+43° 38’ 07”	24.27	Ursa Major
Jun 25 2025	09h 48m 04s	+43° 30’ 52”	24.28	Ursa Major
Jun 26 2025	09h 48m 44s	+43° 23’ 37”	24.29	Ursa Major
Jun 27 2025	09h 49m 24s	+43° 16’ 25”	24.30	Ursa Major
Jun 28 2025	09h 50m 04s	+43° 09’ 14”	24.31	Ursa Major
Jun 29 2025	09h 50m 45s	+43° 02’ 05”	24.32	Ursa Major
Jun 30 2025	09h 51m 26s	+42° 54’ 58”	24.33	Ursa Major
Jul 01 2025	09h 52m 08s	+42° 47’ 54”	24.33	Ursa Major
Jul 02 2025	09h 52m 49s	+42° 40’ 51”	24.34	Ursa Major
Jul 03 2025	09h 53m 30s	+42° 33’ 50”	24.35	Ursa Major

Additional Resources on TheSkyLive

• Comet 126P/IRAS: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
• Where is comet 126P/IRAS?: Key information on where to find comet 126P/IRAS in the sky.
• Distance of comet 126P/IRAS from Earth: Find out how far comet 126P/IRAS is from Earth right now.
• How Bright is comet 126P/IRAS?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
• Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet 126P/IRAS from your location.
• Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet 126P/IRAS's position in the sky.
• Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet 126P/IRAS's position using deep space imagery.
• Ephemeris: 15 days comet 126P/IRAS's computed ephemeris.
• Orbital elements: Information about comet 126P/IRAS orbital parameters.
• Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet 126P/IRAS with respect to the major Solar System objects.