Comet 164P/Christensen
Comet 164P/Christensen is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 164P/Christensen is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 164P/Christensen?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 164P/Christensen in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 164P/Christensen from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 164P/Christensen is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 22.65° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 164P/Christensen 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 164P/Christensen from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 164P/Christensen 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 164P/Christensen from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 164P/Christensen to Earth happens on Tue Dec 4 2074 at a distance of 0.811321 Astronomical Units, or 121,371,894 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 164P/Christensen, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 164P/Christensen at epoch 18 January 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457041.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.54023784 |
Orbit inclination | i | 16.26193102° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.68167790 AU 251,575,434 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.63374755 AU 842,796,639 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.65771272 AU 547,186,036 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.9956 years 2,555.1289 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-May-30 23:46:43 2,458,269.4908 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2025-May-29 02:52 2,460,824.6197 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 326.00467436211° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 88.307602492412° |
Mean anomaly | M | 186.98458769035° |
Mean motion | n | 0.14089309°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 164P/Christensen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 164P/Christensen computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 12 | 23h 36m 34s | -14° 54’ 30” | 17.92 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 13 | 23h 38m 46s | -14° 38’ 30” | 17.91 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 14 | 23h 40m 57s | -14° 22’ 23” | 17.91 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 15 | 23h 43m 08s | -14° 06’ 13” | 17.90 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 16 | 23h 45m 20s | -13° 49’ 58” | 17.90 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 17 | 23h 47m 33s | -13° 33’ 37” | 17.89 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 18 | 23h 49m 45s | -13° 17’ 13” | 17.89 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 19 | 23h 51m 59s | -13° 00’ 44” | 17.88 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 20 | 23h 54m 12s | -12° 44’ 10” | 17.88 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 21 | 23h 56m 26s | -12° 27’ 32” | 17.87 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 22 | 23h 58m 40s | -12° 10’ 49” | 17.87 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 23 | 00h 00m 54s | -11° 54’ 03” | 17.86 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 24 | 00h 03m 09s | -11° 37’ 12” | 17.86 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 25 | 00h 05m 24s | -11° 20’ 17” | 17.85 | Cetus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 164P/Christensen?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 164P/Christensen from Earth?)
- When does Comet 164P/Christensen rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 164P/Christensen?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 164P/Christensen orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 164P/Christensen with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 164P/Christensen for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 164P/Christensen in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 164P/Christensen with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.