Comet 217P/LINEAR
Comet 217P/LINEAR is in the constellation of
Cetus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 217P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 217P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 217P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 217P/LINEAR from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 217P/LINEAR is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 217P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 217P/LINEAR from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 217P/LINEAR 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 217P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 217P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Tue Sep 8 2048 at a distance of 0.396250 Astronomical Units, or 59,278,127 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 217P/LINEAR at epoch 31 August 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455440.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68962028 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.88009255° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.22427494 AU 183,148,924 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.66460993 AU 997,011,457 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.94444243 AU 590,080,190 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.8341 years 2,861.3887 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Sep-08 23:45:20 2,455,083.4898 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Jul-10 09:05 2,457,944.8785 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 246.76732060005° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 125.62057197143° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 44.91653396829° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12581304°/day |
View Comet 217P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 217P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 20 | 02h 04m 58s | +05° 18’ 31” | 15.99 | Pisces |
| 2025 May 21 | 02h 08m 41s | +05° 35’ 02” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 22 | 02h 12m 25s | +05° 51’ 24” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 23 | 02h 16m 09s | +06° 07’ 38” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 24 | 02h 19m 52s | +06° 23’ 43” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 25 | 02h 23m 35s | +06° 39’ 38” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 26 | 02h 27m 18s | +06° 55’ 24” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 27 | 02h 31m 01s | +07° 10’ 59” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 28 | 02h 34m 44s | +07° 26’ 25” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 29 | 02h 38m 26s | +07° 41’ 40” | 15.98 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 30 | 02h 42m 10s | +07° 56’ 44” | 15.99 | Cetus |
| 2025 May 31 | 02h 45m 52s | +08° 11’ 36” | 15.99 | Cetus |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 02h 49m 33s | +08° 26’ 17” | 15.99 | Cetus |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 02h 53m 15s | +08° 40’ 46” | 16.00 | Cetus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 217P/LINEAR: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 217P/LINEAR?: Key information on locating Comet 217P/LINEAR in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 217P/LINEAR is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 217P/LINEAR?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 217P/LINEAR's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 217P/LINEAR's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 217P/LINEAR's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 217P/LINEAR orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 217P/LINEAR with respect to the major Solar System objects.