Comet 126P/IRAS
Comet 126P/IRAS is currently in the constellation of Lupus. The current Right Ascension of Comet 126P/IRAS is 14h 29m 35s and the Declination is -48° 57’ 30” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 126P/IRAS is 23.99 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 126P/IRAS [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 126P/IRAS is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, 126P/IRAS is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 126P/IRAS rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 126P/IRAS available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 126P/IRAS Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 126P/IRAS 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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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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 762,586,562 kilometers, equivalent to 5.097576 Astronomical Units. Light takes 42 minutes and 23.7150 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 January 2013 and 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 118,096,357 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 126P/IRAS brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 126P/IRAS is 23.99.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
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 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet 126P/IRAS is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 126P/IRAS touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Jan 11 | 14h 25m 08s | -47° 45’ 43” | 24.10 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 12 | 14h 25m 46s | -47° 55’ 45” | 24.09 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 13 | 14h 26m 26s | -48° 05’ 48” | 24.07 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 14 | 14h 27m 05s | -48° 15’ 52” | 24.05 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 15 | 14h 27m 42s | -48° 25’ 59” | 24.04 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 16 | 14h 28m 19s | -48° 36’ 08” | 24.02 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 17 | 14h 28m 55s | -48° 46’ 19” | 24.00 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 18 | 14h 29m 31s | -48° 56’ 34” | 23.99 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 19 | 14h 30m 06s | -49° 06’ 48” | 23.97 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 20 | 14h 30m 42s | -49° 17’ 07” | 23.95 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 21 | 14h 31m 15s | -49° 27’ 25” | 23.94 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 22 | 14h 31m 49s | -49° 37’ 48” | 23.92 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 23 | 14h 32m 21s | -49° 48’ 11” | 23.90 | Lupus |
| 2022 Jan 24 | 14h 32m 53s | -49° 58’ 36” | 23.89 | Lupus |