Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is currently in the constellation of Serpens. The current Right Ascension of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is 18h 19m 56s and the Declination is -14° 58’ 01” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 is 17.19 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is n/a (COBS).
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 199P/Shoemaker 4 from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 199P/Shoemaker 4 is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, 199P/Shoemaker 4 is .
- Go to interactive sky chart
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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 412,323,700 kilometers, equivalent to 2.756214 Astronomical Units. Light takes 22 minutes and 55.3638 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 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 to Earth happens on Mon Jul 1 2080 at a distance of 1.904339 Astronomical Units, or 284,885,118 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 Brightness and Light Curve
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 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 199P/Shoemaker 4 at epoch 09 February 2009 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454872.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.50778118 |
Orbit inclination | i | 24.76497749° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.93541074 AU 439,131,198 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
8.99184864 AU 1,345,161,413 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
5.96362969 AU 892,146,306 km |
Orbital period | period |
14.5638 years 5,319.4218 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Apr-09 21:34:16 2,454,931.3988 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2023-Nov-02 07:41 2,460,250.8206 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 191.93508802605° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 92.948125206371° |
Mean anomaly | M | 356.01393368245° |
Mean motion | n | 0.06767653°/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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 Mar 26 | 18h 13m 48s | -14° 35’ 59” | 17.31 | Serpens |
2023 Mar 27 | 18h 14m 39s | -14° 38’ 48” | 17.30 | Serpens |
2023 Mar 28 | 18h 15m 30s | -14° 41’ 39” | 17.28 | Serpens |
2023 Mar 29 | 18h 16m 22s | -14° 44’ 34” | 17.26 | Serpens |
2023 Mar 30 | 18h 17m 11s | -14° 47’ 29” | 17.25 | Serpens |
2023 Mar 31 | 18h 18m 00s | -14° 50’ 26” | 17.23 | Serpens |
2023 Apr 01 | 18h 18m 47s | -14° 53’ 26” | 17.21 | Serpens |
2023 Apr 02 | 18h 19m 33s | -14° 56’ 29” | 17.20 | Serpens |
2023 Apr 03 | 18h 20m 20s | -14° 59’ 32” | 17.18 | Serpens |
2023 Apr 04 | 18h 21m 05s | -15° 02’ 40” | 17.16 | Serpens |
2023 Apr 05 | 18h 21m 47s | -15° 05’ 51” | 17.14 | Serpens |
2023 Apr 06 | 18h 22m 31s | -15° 09’ 05” | 17.13 | Scutum |
2023 Apr 07 | 18h 23m 12s | -15° 12’ 20” | 17.11 | Scutum |
2023 Apr 08 | 18h 23m 53s | -15° 15’ 41” | 17.09 | Scutum |