Comet 164P/Christensen
Comet 164P/Christensen is currently in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of 519,964,177 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 164P/Christensen from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 164P/Christensen is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 164P/Christensen is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 164P/Christensen 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 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.
Comet 164P/Christensen Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 164P/Christensen from Earth is currently 519,964,177 kilometers, equivalent to 3.475746 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 54.4138 seconds to travel from Comet 164P/Christensen and arrive to us.
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 of Comet 164P/Christensen to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 164P/Christensen to Earth happens on Tue Dec 4 2074 at a distance of 0.812188 Astronomical Units, or 121,501,628 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 164P/Christensen Brightness and 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.
Comet 164P/Christensen Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 164P/Christensen at epoch 10 December 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457002.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.54028603 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 16.26201829° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.68145002 AU 251,541,342 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.63375092 AU 842,797,143 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.65760047 AU 547,169,243 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9952 years 2,555.0113 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-May-30 21:53:37 2,458,269.4122 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-May-28 22:09 2,460,824.4235 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 326.00391345373° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 88.30743483611° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 181.49260663498° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14089957°/day |
Visualization of Comet 164P/Christensen Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 164P/Christensen with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 164P/Christensen 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 164P/Christensen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 164P/Christensen 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 164P/Christensen in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 18 | 20h 50m 21s | -24° 38’ 04” | 19.59 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 20h 51m 14s | -24° 38’ 24” | 19.58 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 20h 52m 05s | -24° 38’ 48” | 19.56 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 20h 52m 54s | -24° 39’ 15” | 19.55 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 20h 53m 44s | -24° 39’ 46” | 19.53 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 20h 54m 33s | -24° 40’ 20” | 19.52 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 20h 55m 23s | -24° 40’ 59” | 19.50 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 20h 56m 11s | -24° 41’ 44” | 19.49 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 20h 56m 57s | -24° 42’ 32” | 19.47 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 20h 57m 44s | -24° 43’ 24” | 19.46 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 20h 58m 31s | -24° 44’ 21” | 19.44 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 20h 59m 16s | -24° 45’ 24” | 19.43 | Capricornus |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 21h 00m 01s | -24° 46’ 29” | 19.41 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 01 | 21h 00m 44s | -24° 47’ 42” | 19.40 | Capricornus |