Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is in the constellation of
Centaurus,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet that was first discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812 and then independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks in 1883. It has an orbital period of about 71.3 years. During its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, the comet comes within about 0.78 astronomical units (AU) of the Sun, while at its furthest point, or aphelion, it is located at a distance of about 17.2 AU. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is also known for being the probable parent body causing the Îș-Draconids meteor shower. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will make its return in 2024 and it is expected to reach its maximum brightness (potentially visible to the naked eye) during the month of April. With its closest approach occurring just a few days before a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, it presents a unique opportunity for skywatchers to potentially view the comet during the eclipse. However, since the comet's brightness can be unpredictable, there is no guarantee it will be visible, and viewers may need to use binoculars or telescopes to see it. Nevertheless, with the combination of a total solar eclipse and a potentially bright comet passing by, this astronomical event is not to be missed.
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 with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 14 inches (350mm) or more.
- 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.
Finder Charts
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.
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 |
Orbit Visualization
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Oct 04 | 13h 55m 05s | -47° 39’ 05” | 13.99 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 05 | 13h 57m 30s | -47° 38’ 58” | 14.03 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 06 | 13h 59m 54s | -47° 38’ 50” | 14.07 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 07 | 14h 02m 16s | -47° 38’ 42” | 14.11 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 08 | 14h 04m 37s | -47° 38’ 35” | 14.15 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 09 | 14h 06m 57s | -47° 38’ 28” | 14.19 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 10 | 14h 09m 16s | -47° 38’ 22” | 14.23 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 11 | 14h 11m 34s | -47° 38’ 15” | 14.27 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 12 | 14h 13m 51s | -47° 38’ 09” | 14.31 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 13 | 14h 16m 07s | -47° 38’ 03” | 14.35 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 14 | 14h 18m 21s | -47° 37’ 59” | 14.39 | Centaurus |
| 2024 Oct 15 | 14h 20m 35s | -47° 37’ 55” | 14.43 | Lupus |
| 2024 Oct 16 | 14h 22m 48s | -47° 37’ 51” | 14.47 | Lupus |
| 2024 Oct 17 | 14h 24m 59s | -47° 37’ 47” | 14.51 | Lupus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks from Earth?)
- When does Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.