Comet 126P/IRAS
Comet 126P/IRAS is in the constellation of
Ursa Major,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High 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.
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 126P/IRAS from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 126P/IRAS is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the North-North-East direction at an altitude of 82.82° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 126P/IRAS 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 126P/IRAS from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 126P/IRAS to Earth happens on Sun Sep 21 2036 at a distance of 0.789938 Astronomical Units, or 118,172,990 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 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 126P/IRAS at epoch 26 May 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459361.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.69627539 |
Orbit inclination | i | 45.86937072° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.71300788 AU 256,262,332 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
9.56699938 AU 1,431,202,739 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
5.64000363 AU 843,732,535 km |
Orbital period | period |
13.3945 years 4,892.3498 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Jul-05 08:31:56 2,460,130.8555 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2036-Nov-25 16:55 2,465,023.2053 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 356.52368326532° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 357.86222638312° |
Mean anomaly | M | 303.38753461122° |
Mean motion | n | 0.07358427°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 126P/IRAS in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 01 | 10h 29m 29s | +57° 38’ 27” | 22.76 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 02 | 10h 28m 15s | +57° 41’ 07” | 22.76 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 03 | 10h 27m 00s | +57° 43’ 35” | 22.77 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 04 | 10h 25m 44s | +57° 45’ 51” | 22.78 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 05 | 10h 24m 29s | +57° 47’ 55” | 22.79 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 06 | 10h 23m 12s | +57° 49’ 48” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 07 | 10h 21m 55s | +57° 51’ 27” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 08 | 10h 20m 38s | +57° 52’ 54” | 22.81 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 09 | 10h 19m 21s | +57° 54’ 08” | 22.82 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 10 | 10h 18m 03s | +57° 55’ 10” | 22.83 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 11 | 10h 16m 45s | +57° 55’ 59” | 22.84 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 12 | 10h 15m 28s | +57° 56’ 35” | 22.85 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 13 | 10h 14m 10s | +57° 56’ 59” | 22.86 | Ursa Major |
2025 Feb 14 | 10h 12m 52s | +57° 57’ 09” | 22.86 | Ursa Major |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 126P/IRAS?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 126P/IRAS from Earth?)
- When does Comet 126P/IRAS rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 126P/IRAS?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 126P/IRAS orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 126P/IRAS with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 126P/IRAS for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 126P/IRAS in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 126P/IRAS with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.