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
Comet 209P/LINEAR Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 209P/LINEAR rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the local timezone Europe/London.
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 | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Apr 16 | 29.22 | 03h 41m 04s | +20° 35’ 07” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 17 | 29.21 | 03h 42m 02s | +20° 39’ 39” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 18 | 29.21 | 03h 43m 00s | +20° 44’ 12” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 19 | 29.20 | 03h 43m 58s | +20° 48’ 44” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 20 | 29.19 | 03h 44m 56s | +20° 53’ 17” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 21 | 29.19 | 03h 45m 55s | +20° 57’ 50” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 22 | 29.18 | 03h 46m 54s | +21° 02’ 21” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 23 | 29.17 | 03h 47m 53s | +21° 06’ 53” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 24 | 29.17 | 03h 48m 53s | +21° 11’ 26” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 25 | 29.16 | 03h 49m 54s | +21° 15’ 57” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 26 | 29.15 | 03h 50m 54s | +21° 20’ 30” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 27 | 29.14 | 03h 51m 56s | +21° 25’ 00” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 28 | 29.14 | 03h 52m 56s | +21° 29’ 31” | Taurus |
| 2018 Apr 29 | 29.13 | 03h 53m 58s | +21° 34’ 02” | Taurus |
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 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.