Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro
Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro is in the constellation of
Capricornus,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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 133P/Elst-Pizarro from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 133P/Elst-Pizarro is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 133P/Elst-Pizarro 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro 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 133P/Elst-Pizarro 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 133P/Elst-Pizarro to Earth happens on Fri Jul 19 2086 at a distance of 1.607973 Astronomical Units, or 240,549,334 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 133P/Elst-Pizarro, 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 133P/Elst-Pizarro at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.15637284 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 1.38981783° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.67049635 AU 399,500,568 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.66049080 AU 547,601,631 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.16549358 AU 473,551,100 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.6321 years 2,057.1245 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-May-10 04:48:04 2,460,440.7000 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2029-Dec-27 07:47 2,462,497.8246 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 131.90192411846° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 160.09954075742° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 282.96430494687° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17500156°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro 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 Sep 14 | 20h 40m 40s | -17° 42’ 16” | 19.99 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 15 | 20h 40m 32s | -17° 43’ 25” | 20.01 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 16 | 20h 40m 26s | -17° 44’ 27” | 20.03 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 17 | 20h 40m 22s | -17° 45’ 23” | 20.05 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 18 | 20h 40m 19s | -17° 46’ 14” | 20.07 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 19 | 20h 40m 17s | -17° 46’ 58” | 20.09 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 20 | 20h 40m 17s | -17° 47’ 37” | 20.12 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 21 | 20h 40m 18s | -17° 48’ 10” | 20.14 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 22 | 20h 40m 21s | -17° 48’ 37” | 20.16 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 23 | 20h 40m 26s | -17° 48’ 58” | 20.18 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 24 | 20h 40m 32s | -17° 49’ 12” | 20.20 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 25 | 20h 40m 39s | -17° 49’ 22” | 20.22 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 26 | 20h 40m 48s | -17° 49’ 25” | 20.24 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Sep 27 | 20h 40m 58s | -17° 49’ 23” | 20.26 | Capricornus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro from Earth?)
- When does Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.