Comet 185P/Petriew
Comet 185P/Petriew is in the constellation of
Virgo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 185P/Petriew is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 185P/Petriew?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 185P/Petriew 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 185P/Petriew from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 185P/Petriew is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 27.29° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 185P/Petriew is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 185P/Petriew from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 185P/Petriew 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 185P/Petriew 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 185P/Petriew to Earth happens on Tue Nov 7 2056 at a distance of 0.281519 Astronomical Units, or 42,114,589 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 185P/Petriew, 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 185P/Petriew at epoch 16 April 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457129.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.69879499 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 13.99731602° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.93383716 AU 139,700,051 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.26683770 AU 787,907,707 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.10033743 AU 463,803,879 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4591 years 1,993.9390 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-Aug-13 01:18:02 2,456,152.5542 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Jan-27 23:50 2,458,146.4932 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 181.93755768907° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 214.10082223653° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 176.38477656117° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18054715°/day |
View Comet 185P/Petriew in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 185P/Petriew 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 May 14 | 12h 44m 46s | -09° 01’ 11” | 23.68 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 15 | 12h 44m 21s | -08° 56’ 59” | 23.69 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 16 | 12h 43m 57s | -08° 52’ 51” | 23.70 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 17 | 12h 43m 34s | -08° 48’ 48” | 23.70 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 18 | 12h 43m 11s | -08° 44’ 49” | 23.71 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 19 | 12h 42m 50s | -08° 40’ 56” | 23.72 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 20 | 12h 42m 29s | -08° 37’ 07” | 23.73 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 21 | 12h 42m 09s | -08° 33’ 23” | 23.74 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 22 | 12h 41m 50s | -08° 29’ 44” | 23.75 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 23 | 12h 41m 32s | -08° 26’ 10” | 23.76 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 24 | 12h 41m 15s | -08° 22’ 41” | 23.77 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 25 | 12h 40m 58s | -08° 19’ 17” | 23.78 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 26 | 12h 40m 42s | -08° 15’ 58” | 23.79 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 27 | 12h 40m 27s | -08° 12’ 45” | 23.80 | Virgo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 185P/Petriew: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 185P/Petriew?: Key information on locating Comet 185P/Petriew in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 185P/Petriew is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 185P/Petriew?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 185P/Petriew's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 185P/Petriew's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 185P/Petriew's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 185P/Petriew orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 185P/Petriew with respect to the major Solar System objects.