We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now and help us to keep this site free and ad-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:37  
clear_day Transit: 11:46  
SunsetSet: 15:55 south
wb_twilight Civil TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR

Altitude: -12.4°   Azimuth: 264.1°   Direction: West

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Virgo.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR is 14h 21m 26s and the Declination is -13° 19’ 07” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR is 23.27 (JPL).

14h 21m 26s
-13° 19’ 07”
Virgo
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
23.27

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 156P/Russell-LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 103.3°
Max altitude: 25.2°
Azimuth: 256.7°
  • 156P/Russell-LINEAR is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 156P/Russell-LINEAR 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.

Available Resources

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR 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.

Finder chart of 156P/Russell-LINEAR in Virgo on November,28 2023
Map showing Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in Virgo on November, 28 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 156P/Russell-LINEAR
Map showing Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in Virgo on November, 28 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

156P/Russell-LINEAR
RA: 14h 21m 26s
Dec: -13° 19’ 07”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR from Earth is currently 961,308,918 kilometers, equivalent to 6.425953 Astronomical Units. Light takes 53 minutes and 26.5814 seconds to travel from Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR and arrive to us.

961,308,918
6.425953
53 minutes and 26.5814 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR 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 156P/Russell-LINEAR 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 156P/Russell-LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR to Earth

Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR to Earth happens on Thu Oct 29 2099 at a distance of 0.380005 Astronomical Units, or 56,847,889 kilometers:

Thu Oct 29 2099
56,847,889
0.380005

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

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR, 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 156P/Russell-LINEAR as a function of time

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR at epoch 27 March 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458936.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.61490849
Orbit inclination i 17.26328933°
Perihelion distance q 1.33312151 AU
199,432,140 km
Aphelion distance Q 5.59053935 AU
836,332,785 km
Semi-major axis a 3.46183043 AU
517,882,463 km
Orbital period period 6.4412 years
2,352.6489 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2020-Nov-17 19:55:55
2,459,171.3305 JD
Next perihelion transit 2027-Apr-28 11:30
2,461,523.9794 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 0.381717897806°
Longitude of the ascending node node 35.394354727285°
Mean anomaly M 324.06646888291°
Mean motion n 0.15301901°/day

Visualization of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR 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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR
View Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 21 14h 16m 17s -12° 47’ 39” 23.29 Virgo
2023 Nov 22 14h 16m 58s -12° 51’ 50” 23.29 Virgo
2023 Nov 23 14h 17m 39s -12° 55’ 59” 23.28 Virgo
2023 Nov 24 14h 18m 19s -13° 00’ 06” 23.28 Virgo
2023 Nov 25 14h 18m 59s -13° 04’ 13” 23.28 Virgo
2023 Nov 26 14h 19m 40s -13° 08’ 17” 23.28 Virgo
2023 Nov 27 14h 20m 20s -13° 12’ 21” 23.28 Virgo
2023 Nov 28 14h 20m 59s -13° 16’ 24” 23.27 Virgo
2023 Nov 29 14h 21m 39s -13° 20’ 26” 23.27 Virgo
2023 Nov 30 14h 22m 18s -13° 24’ 25” 23.27 Libra
2023 Dec 01 14h 22m 59s -13° 28’ 23” 23.27 Libra
2023 Dec 02 14h 23m 38s -13° 32’ 21” 23.26 Libra
2023 Dec 03 14h 24m 16s -13° 36’ 15” 23.26 Libra
2023 Dec 04 14h 24m 56s -13° 40’ 09” 23.26 Libra