Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is in the constellation of
Norma,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 12P/Pons-Brooks from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is not visible from Greenwich, UK
- 12P/Pons-Brooks is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 12P/Pons-Brooks is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 12P/Pons-Brooks to Earth happens on Wed Aug 31 2095 at a distance of 1.498788 Astronomical Units, or 224,215,507 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 12P/Pons-Brooks, 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 12P/Pons-Brooks at epoch 13 September 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460201.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.95456023 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 74.19083929° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.78086475 AU 116,815,704 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
33.58835604 AU 5,024,746,554 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
17.18461040 AU 2,570,781,129 km |
| Orbital period | period |
71.2390 years 26,020.0402 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Apr-21 03:09:29 2,460,421.6316 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2095-Jul-18 04:07 2,486,441.6717 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 198.98800614657° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 255.85505059528° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 356.95437162814° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.01383549°/day |
View Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 May 16 | 16h 24m 19s | -50° 49’ 24” | 18.54 | Norma |
| 2025 May 17 | 16h 22m 59s | -50° 44’ 59” | 18.55 | Norma |
| 2025 May 18 | 16h 21m 41s | -50° 40’ 24” | 18.57 | Norma |
| 2025 May 19 | 16h 20m 23s | -50° 35’ 39” | 18.58 | Norma |
| 2025 May 20 | 16h 19m 05s | -50° 30’ 44” | 18.60 | Norma |
| 2025 May 21 | 16h 17m 48s | -50° 25’ 40” | 18.61 | Norma |
| 2025 May 22 | 16h 16m 29s | -50° 20’ 27” | 18.63 | Norma |
| 2025 May 23 | 16h 15m 12s | -50° 15’ 03” | 18.64 | Norma |
| 2025 May 24 | 16h 13m 56s | -50° 09’ 31” | 18.66 | Norma |
| 2025 May 25 | 16h 12m 40s | -50° 03’ 49” | 18.67 | Norma |
| 2025 May 26 | 16h 11m 24s | -49° 57’ 59” | 18.69 | Norma |
| 2025 May 27 | 16h 10m 09s | -49° 51’ 59” | 18.70 | Norma |
| 2025 May 28 | 16h 08m 55s | -49° 45’ 52” | 18.72 | Norma |
| 2025 May 29 | 16h 07m 41s | -49° 39’ 36” | 18.73 | Norma |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?: Key information on locating Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks with respect to the major Solar System objects.