Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang
Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius, at a distance of 5,922,272,739 kilometers from Earth.
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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 153P/Ikeya-Zhang from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 153P/Ikeya-Zhang is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 153P/Ikeya-Zhang is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang from Earth is currently 5,922,272,739 kilometers, equivalent to 39.587948 Astronomical Units. Light takes 5 hours, 29 minutes and 14.5755 seconds to travel from Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang 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 153P/Ikeya-Zhang from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang to Earth happens on Sun Jun 30 2013 at a distance of 25.198931 Astronomical Units, or 3,769,706,411 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang, 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 153P/Ikeya-Zhang Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang at epoch 07 May 2002 00:00 UTC (JD: 2452402.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99008066 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 28.12095741° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.50707009 AU 75,856,606 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
101.73157425 AU 15,218,826,921 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
51.11932217 AU 7,647,341,763 km |
| Orbital period | period |
365.4987 years 133,498.3988 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2002-Mar-18 23:31:25 2,452,352.4802 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2367-Sep-20 09:05 2,585,850.8789 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 34.668178657425° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 93.369456618754° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.1348865811518° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00269666°/day |
Visualization of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang 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 153P/Ikeya-Zhang in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 19 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 51’ 35” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 51’ 53” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 52’ 12” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 52’ 31” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 52’ 50” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 53’ 09” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 20h 05m 41s | -31° 53’ 30” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 20h 05m 40s | -31° 53’ 49” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 20h 05m 39s | -31° 54’ 10” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 20h 05m 39s | -31° 54’ 30” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 20h 05m 39s | -31° 54’ 51” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 20h 05m 38s | -31° 55’ 13” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 01 | 20h 05m 36s | -31° 55’ 33” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 May 02 | 20h 05m 35s | -31° 55’ 55” | 35.98 | Sagittarius |