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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet 14P/Wolf

Altitude: 28.9°   Azimuth: 154.8°   Direction: South-South-East

Comet 14P/Wolf is currently in the constellation of Libra, at a distance of 653,041,685 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of 14P/Wolf in Libra on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet 14P/Wolf in Libra on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet 14P/Wolf is 15h 27m 35s and the Declination is -06° 37’ 50” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 14P/Wolf is 22.06 (JPL).

15h 27m 35s
-06° 37’ 50”
Libra
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
22.06

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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 14P/Wolf from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 96.6°
Max altitude: 31.9°
Azimuth: 263.4°
  • 14P/Wolf is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 29° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 14P/Wolf 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.

Additional Resources

Comet 14P/Wolf Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of 14P/Wolf
Map showing Comet 14P/Wolf in Libra on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 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.

14P/Wolf
RA: 15h 27m 35s
Dec: -06° 37’ 50”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 14P/Wolf
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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 653,041,685 kilometers, equivalent to 4.365314 Astronomical Units. Light takes 36 minutes and 18.3126 seconds to travel from Comet 14P/Wolf and arrive to us.

653,041,685
4.365314
36 minutes and 18.3126 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 14P/Wolf from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 14P/Wolf to Earth happens on Wed Oct 3 2068 at a distance of 1.627895 Astronomical Units, or 243,529,555 kilometers:

Wed Oct 3 2068
243,529,555
1.627895

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 14P/Wolf Brightness and Light Curve

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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 14P/Wolf as a function of time

Comet 14P/Wolf Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 14P/Wolf at epoch 14 November 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455880.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.35745330
Orbit inclination i 27.94263969°
Perihelion distance q 2.72880051 AU
408,222,747 km
Aphelion distance Q 5.76490273 AU
862,417,175 km
Semi-major axis a 4.24685162 AU
635,319,961 km
Orbital period period 8.7520 years
3,196.6792 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2009-Feb-27 14:34:13
2,454,890.1071 JD
Next perihelion transit 2017-Nov-29 06:52
2,458,086.7863 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 159.19640689593°
Longitude of the ascending node node 202.10797799766°
Mean anomaly M 111.53494605587°
Mean motion n 0.11261687°/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!

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
2024 Mar 12 15h 28m 09s -07° 12’ 20” 22.11 Libra
2024 Mar 13 15h 28m 08s -07° 07’ 39” 22.11 Libra
2024 Mar 14 15h 28m 04s -07° 02’ 53” 22.10 Libra
2024 Mar 15 15h 28m 00s -06° 58’ 05” 22.09 Libra
2024 Mar 16 15h 27m 55s -06° 53’ 12” 22.08 Libra
2024 Mar 17 15h 27m 48s -06° 48’ 16” 22.07 Libra
2024 Mar 18 15h 27m 42s -06° 43’ 18” 22.06 Libra
2024 Mar 19 15h 27m 36s -06° 38’ 16” 22.06 Libra
2024 Mar 20 15h 27m 26s -06° 33’ 11” 22.05 Libra
2024 Mar 21 15h 27m 18s -06° 28’ 03” 22.04 Libra
2024 Mar 22 15h 27m 09s -06° 22’ 51” 22.03 Libra
2024 Mar 23 15h 26m 57s -06° 17’ 38” 22.02 Libra
2024 Mar 24 15h 26m 47s -06° 12’ 20” 22.01 Libra
2024 Mar 25 15h 26m 35s -06° 07’ 00” 22.01 Libra