Comet 217P/LINEAR
Comet 217P/LINEAR Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 217P/LINEAR rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 217P/LINEAR Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 217P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 217P/LINEAR Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 217P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 217P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Feb 16 | 11h 03m 06s | +15° 32’ 35” | 21.68 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 17 | 11h 02m 27s | +15° 37’ 54” | 21.68 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 18 | 11h 01m 49s | +15° 43’ 09” | 21.69 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 19 | 11h 01m 09s | +15° 48’ 24” | 21.69 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 20 | 11h 00m 29s | +15° 53’ 36” | 21.69 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 21 | 10h 59m 51s | +15° 58’ 48” | 21.70 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 22 | 10h 59m 11s | +16° 03’ 56” | 21.70 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 23 | 10h 58m 31s | +16° 09’ 03” | 21.70 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 24 | 10h 57m 51s | +16° 14’ 08” | 21.71 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 25 | 10h 57m 11s | +16° 19’ 09” | 21.71 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 26 | 10h 56m 30s | +16° 24’ 07” | 21.72 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 27 | 10h 55m 50s | +16° 29’ 03” | 21.72 | Leo |
| 2019 Feb 28 | 10h 55m 09s | +16° 33’ 56” | 21.73 | Leo |
| 2019 Mar 01 | 10h 54m 29s | +16° 38’ 45” | 21.73 | Leo |
Distance of Comet 217P/LINEAR from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 217P/LINEAR
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 217P/LINEAR at epoch 04 August 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455413.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68961244 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.88038542° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.22423456 AU 183,142,884 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.66419081 AU 996,948,757 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.94421268 AU 590,045,820 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.8300 years 2,861.1387 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Sep-08 23:38:08 2,455,083.4848 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Jul-10 02:57 2,457,944.6235 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 246.7641713336° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 125.62090728776° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 41.523839812298° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12582403°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2048-Sep-08 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.39623981 AU 59,276,632 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.