Latest Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is currently in the constellation of Ursa Major. The current Right Ascension of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is 11h 13m 07s and the Declination is +33° 16’ 10” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is 22.80 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 199P/Shoemaker 4 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the West-South-West direction at an altitude of 58° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 199P/Shoemaker 4 is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 199P/Shoemaker 4 rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 from Earth is currently 792,012,896 kilometers, equivalent to 5.294279 Astronomical Units. Light takes 44 minutes and 1.8707 seconds to travel from Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 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 199P/Shoemaker 4 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 to Earth happens on Fri Jun 28 2080 at a distance of 1.909520 Astronomical Units, or 285,660,183 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is 22.80.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4, 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 199P/Shoemaker 4 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 at epoch 08 November 2007 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454413.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.50695855 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 24.76774202° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.93594306 AU 439,210,831 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
8.97357504 AU 1,342,427,722 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
5.95475905 AU 890,819,276 km |
| Orbital period | period |
14.5300 years 5,307.5576 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Apr-10 01:01:45 2,454,931.5429 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Oct-21 14:24 2,460,239.1005 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 191.94528513868° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 92.945996304018° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 324.86228597884° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06782781°/day |
Visualization of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 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 199P/Shoemaker 4 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Apr 30 | 11h 14m 32s | +33° 39’ 35” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 01 | 11h 14m 18s | +33° 36’ 59” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 02 | 11h 14m 07s | +33° 34’ 15” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 03 | 11h 13m 54s | +33° 31’ 27” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 04 | 11h 13m 44s | +33° 28’ 32” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 05 | 11h 13m 33s | +33° 25’ 32” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 06 | 11h 13m 23s | +33° 22’ 27” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 07 | 11h 13m 15s | +33° 19’ 15” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 08 | 11h 13m 06s | +33° 15’ 59” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 09 | 11h 13m 00s | +33° 12’ 37” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 10 | 11h 12m 53s | +33° 09’ 10” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 11 | 11h 12m 47s | +33° 05’ 36” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 12 | 11h 12m 42s | +33° 01’ 59” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |
| 2021 May 13 | 11h 12m 38s | +32° 58’ 18” | 22.80 | Ursa Major |