Comet 209P/LINEAR
Comet 209P/LINEAR Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 209P/LINEAR is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 209P/LINEAR Rise and Set Times
Comet 209P/LINEAR is circumpolar from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] and transits at 17:38 UTC (altitude: 87.7°)
Comet 209P/LINEAR Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 209P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 209P/LINEAR 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 209P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 209P/LINEAR Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 209P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 209P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Mar 17 | 05h 34m 41s | +49° 40’ 14” | 20.12 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 18 | 05h 35m 52s | +49° 36’ 51” | 20.08 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 19 | 05h 37m 05s | +49° 33’ 26” | 20.04 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 20 | 05h 38m 25s | +49° 30’ 02” | 20.00 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 21 | 05h 39m 46s | +49° 26’ 36” | 19.96 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 22 | 05h 41m 12s | +49° 23’ 08” | 19.92 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 23 | 05h 42m 41s | +49° 19’ 40” | 19.88 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 24 | 05h 44m 13s | +49° 16’ 09” | 19.84 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 25 | 05h 45m 50s | +49° 12’ 34” | 19.80 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 26 | 05h 47m 29s | +49° 08’ 57” | 19.76 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 27 | 05h 49m 13s | +49° 05’ 18” | 19.72 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 28 | 05h 50m 58s | +49° 01’ 35” | 19.67 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 29 | 05h 52m 49s | +48° 57’ 47” | 19.63 | Auriga |
| 2019 Mar 30 | 05h 54m 42s | +48° 53’ 56” | 19.59 | Auriga |
Distance of Comet 209P/LINEAR from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 209P/LINEAR from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 209P/LINEAR is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 209P/LINEAR
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 209P/LINEAR, 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 209P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 209P/LINEAR at epoch 22 June 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455735.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.69256369 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.48032030° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.90098697 AU 134,785,732 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.96030487 AU 742,051,048 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.93064592 AU 438,418,390 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.0200 years 1,832.4978 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Apr-17 12:44:57 2,454,939.0312 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2014-Apr-24 00:41 2,456,771.5290 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 150.52958376952° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 65.393856991194° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 156.46881922669° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.19645317°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2014-May-29 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.05555069 AU 8,310,265 km |
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2100-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.