Comet 15P/Finlay
Comet 15P/Finlay Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 15P/Finlay is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 15P/Finlay Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 15P/Finlay rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 15P/Finlay Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 15P/Finlay with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 15P/Finlay 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 15P/Finlay in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 15P/Finlay Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 15P/Finlay computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 15P/Finlay in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 08 | 13h 09m 42s | -07° 01’ 45” | 28.85 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 13h 10m 09s | -07° 04’ 41” | 28.84 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 13h 10m 36s | -07° 07’ 36” | 28.84 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 13h 11m 02s | -07° 10’ 27” | 28.83 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 13h 11m 26s | -07° 13’ 17” | 28.82 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 13h 11m 52s | -07° 16’ 04” | 28.81 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 13h 12m 16s | -07° 18’ 47” | 28.80 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 13h 12m 42s | -07° 21’ 29” | 28.80 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 13h 13m 05s | -07° 24’ 07” | 28.79 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 13h 13m 28s | -07° 26’ 44” | 28.78 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 13h 13m 51s | -07° 29’ 17” | 28.77 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 19 | 13h 14m 15s | -07° 31’ 48” | 28.76 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 20 | 13h 14m 36s | -07° 34’ 15” | 28.76 | Virgo |
| 2018 Dec 21 | 13h 14m 58s | -07° 36’ 41” | 28.75 | Virgo |
Distance of Comet 15P/Finlay from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 15P/Finlay from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 15P/Finlay is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 15P/Finlay
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 15P/Finlay, 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 15P/Finlay Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 15P/Finlay at epoch 23 April 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456406.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.72046703 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 6.80365595° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.97465031 AU 145,805,612 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.99876912 AU 897,403,089 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.48670972 AU 521,604,350 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5100 years 2,378.0562 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Dec-26 22:25:48 2,457,018.4346 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Jun-30 23:46 2,459,396.4908 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 347.5656143943° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 13.800639673911° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 267.36280705588° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15138414°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2060-Oct-27 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.04931676 AU 7,377,683 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.