Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is in the constellation of Lupus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 12P/Pons-Brooks from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Greenwich, UKToday comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is not visible from
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Distance from Earth
The distance of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 12P/Pons-Brooks to Earth will happen on Wednesday 31 August 2095 at a distance of 1.498788 Astronomical Units, or 224,215,507 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 12P/Pons-Brooks, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks at epoch September, 13 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 | April 21, 2024 2,460,421.6316 JD |
Next perihelion transit | July 18, 2095 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 |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 17 2025 | 15h 47m 11s | -47° 19’ 59” | 19.05 | Lupus |
Jun 18 2025 | 15h 46m 16s | -47° 11’ 52” | 19.07 | Lupus |
Jun 19 2025 | 15h 45m 23s | -47° 03’ 43” | 19.09 | Lupus |
Jun 20 2025 | 15h 44m 32s | -46° 55’ 31” | 19.10 | Lupus |
Jun 21 2025 | 15h 43m 42s | -46° 47’ 17” | 19.12 | Lupus |
Jun 22 2025 | 15h 42m 52s | -46° 39’ 02” | 19.14 | Lupus |
Jun 23 2025 | 15h 42m 05s | -46° 30’ 44” | 19.16 | Lupus |
Jun 24 2025 | 15h 41m 18s | -46° 22’ 25” | 19.18 | Lupus |
Jun 25 2025 | 15h 40m 33s | -46° 14’ 06” | 19.20 | Lupus |
Jun 26 2025 | 15h 39m 49s | -46° 05’ 45” | 19.21 | Lupus |
Jun 27 2025 | 15h 39m 06s | -45° 57’ 24” | 19.23 | Lupus |
Jun 28 2025 | 15h 38m 24s | -45° 49’ 04” | 19.25 | Lupus |
Jun 29 2025 | 15h 37m 44s | -45° 40’ 43” | 19.27 | Lupus |
Jun 30 2025 | 15h 37m 06s | -45° 32’ 22” | 19.29 | Lupus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?: Key information on where to find comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the sky.
- Distance of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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: Rise and set times of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 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 real time tracker of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks's position using 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.