Comet 164P/Christensen
Comet 164P/Christensen is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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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 East-South-East direction at an altitude of 39.12° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 164P/Christensen is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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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 |
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 Jun 06 | 04h 21m 55s | +16° 36’ 27” | 17.54 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 07 | 04h 24m 44s | +16° 48’ 21” | 17.54 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 08 | 04h 27m 34s | +17° 00’ 05” | 17.54 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 09 | 04h 30m 24s | +17° 11’ 39” | 17.54 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 10 | 04h 33m 14s | +17° 23’ 02” | 17.54 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 11 | 04h 36m 04s | +17° 34’ 15” | 17.54 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 12 | 04h 38m 54s | +17° 45’ 17” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 13 | 04h 41m 44s | +17° 56’ 08” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 14 | 04h 44m 34s | +18° 06’ 49” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 15 | 04h 47m 26s | +18° 17’ 18” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 16 | 04h 50m 16s | +18° 27’ 36” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 17 | 04h 53m 07s | +18° 37’ 44” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 18 | 04h 55m 58s | +18° 47’ 40” | 17.55 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 19 | 04h 58m 49s | +18° 57’ 25” | 17.55 | Taurus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 164P/Christensen: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 164P/Christensen?: Key information on locating Comet 164P/Christensen in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 164P/Christensen is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 164P/Christensen?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 164P/Christensen's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 164P/Christensen's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 164P/Christensen's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 164P/Christensen orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 164P/Christensen with respect to the major Solar System objects.