Comet 16P/Brooks
Comet 16P/Brooks is in the constellation of
Libra,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 16P/Brooks is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 16P/Brooks?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 16P/Brooks 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 16P/Brooks from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 16P/Brooks is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 16P/Brooks 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 16P/Brooks from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 16P/Brooks 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 16P/Brooks 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 16P/Brooks to Earth happens on Tue Oct 9 2068 at a distance of 0.771811 Astronomical Units, or 115,461,285 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 16P/Brooks, 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 16P/Brooks at epoch 11 June 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457551.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.56897473 |
Orbit inclination | i | 4.30690001° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.45450812 AU 217,591,318 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.29455387 AU 792,053,987 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.37453100 AU 504,822,653 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.1991 years 2,264.2197 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Jun-14 18:26:56 2,456,823.2687 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2020-Aug-25 23:43 2,459,087.4884 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 220.16604620772° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 159.34301681038° |
Mean anomaly | M | 115.78526104292° |
Mean motion | n | 0.15899517°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 16P/Brooks in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 16P/Brooks 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 Jan 31 | 14h 37m 20s | -12° 18’ 59” | 25.73 | Libra |
2025 Feb 01 | 14h 37m 33s | -12° 19’ 25” | 25.72 | Libra |
2025 Feb 02 | 14h 37m 46s | -12° 19’ 49” | 25.72 | Libra |
2025 Feb 03 | 14h 37m 59s | -12° 20’ 10” | 25.71 | Libra |
2025 Feb 04 | 14h 38m 10s | -12° 20’ 26” | 25.70 | Libra |
2025 Feb 05 | 14h 38m 21s | -12° 20’ 40” | 25.69 | Libra |
2025 Feb 06 | 14h 38m 32s | -12° 20’ 50” | 25.69 | Libra |
2025 Feb 07 | 14h 38m 41s | -12° 20’ 56” | 25.68 | Libra |
2025 Feb 08 | 14h 38m 50s | -12° 20’ 59” | 25.67 | Libra |
2025 Feb 09 | 14h 38m 58s | -12° 20’ 57” | 25.66 | Libra |
2025 Feb 10 | 14h 39m 06s | -12° 20’ 53” | 25.65 | Libra |
2025 Feb 11 | 14h 39m 12s | -12° 20’ 45” | 25.65 | Libra |
2025 Feb 12 | 14h 39m 18s | -12° 20’ 33” | 25.64 | Libra |
2025 Feb 13 | 14h 39m 23s | -12° 20’ 18” | 25.63 | Libra |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 16P/Brooks?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 16P/Brooks from Earth?)
- When does Comet 16P/Brooks rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 16P/Brooks?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 16P/Brooks orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 16P/Brooks with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 16P/Brooks for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 16P/Brooks in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 16P/Brooks with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.