Comet 14P/Wolf
Comet 14P/Wolf is currently in the constellation of Hydra. The current Right Ascension of Comet 14P/Wolf is 10h 25m 12s and the Declination is -15° 46’ 40” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 14P/Wolf is 22.37 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 14P/Wolf [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 14P/Wolf is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the South-West direction at an altitude of 10° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 14P/Wolf is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 14P/Wolf rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 14P/Wolf available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 14P/Wolf Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 14P/Wolf finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 14P/Wolf is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 14P/Wolf?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 14P/Wolf in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 14P/Wolf Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 14P/Wolf from Earth is currently 701,073,711 kilometers, equivalent to 4.686388 Astronomical Units. Light takes 38 minutes and 58.5302 seconds to travel from Comet 14P/Wolf and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 14P/Wolf 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 14P/Wolf from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 14P/Wolf to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 14P/Wolf to Earth happens on Wed Oct 3 2068 at a distance of 1.627894 Astronomical Units, or 243,529,547 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 14P/Wolf brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 14P/Wolf is 22.37.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 14P/Wolf, 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.
Comet 14P/Wolf rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 14P/Wolf rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 14P/Wolf touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 14P/Wolf Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 14P/Wolf at epoch 23 October 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455858.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.35748191 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 27.94266231° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.72858013 AU 408,189,779 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.76481542 AU 862,404,114 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.24669778 AU 635,296,946 km |
| Orbital period | period |
8.7500 years 3,196.5055 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Feb-27 14:44:17 2,454,890.1141 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Nov-29 02:52 2,458,086.6196 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 159.19117562832° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 202.10791102968° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 109.0625134646° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.11262299°/day |
Visualization of Comet 14P/Wolf Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 14P/Wolf with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 14P/Wolf and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet 14P/Wolf in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 14P/Wolf 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 14P/Wolf computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 14P/Wolf in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Jan 21 | 10h 28m 08s | -15° 52’ 37” | 22.39 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 22 | 10h 27m 45s | -15° 52’ 10” | 22.39 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 23 | 10h 27m 21s | -15° 51’ 37” | 22.39 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 24 | 10h 26m 57s | -15° 50’ 56” | 22.38 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 25 | 10h 26m 34s | -15° 50’ 07” | 22.38 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 26 | 10h 26m 08s | -15° 49’ 09” | 22.38 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 27 | 10h 25m 44s | -15° 48’ 06” | 22.37 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 28 | 10h 25m 18s | -15° 46’ 54” | 22.37 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 29 | 10h 24m 51s | -15° 45’ 35” | 22.37 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 30 | 10h 24m 24s | -15° 44’ 08” | 22.36 | Hydra |
| 2021 Jan 31 | 10h 23m 57s | -15° 42’ 34” | 22.36 | Hydra |
| 2021 Feb 01 | 10h 23m 30s | -15° 40’ 53” | 22.36 | Hydra |
| 2021 Feb 02 | 10h 23m 02s | -15° 39’ 03” | 22.36 | Hydra |
| 2021 Feb 03 | 10h 22m 33s | -15° 37’ 06” | 22.35 | Hydra |