Comet 217P/LINEAR
Comet 217P/LINEAR is in the constellation of
Scorpius,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Finder Charts
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.
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 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 217P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Tue Sep 8 2048 at a distance of 0.396240 Astronomical Units, or 59,276,666 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 11 August 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455420.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68961463 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.88031481° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.22424331 AU 183,144,193 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.66429408 AU 996,964,205 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.94426869 AU 590,054,199 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.8335 years 2,861.1997 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Sep-08 23:39:54 2,455,083.4861 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Jul-10 04:27 2,457,944.6857 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 246.76489240242° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 125.62084153525° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 42.403549522719° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12582135°/day |
Orbit Visualization
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Oct 02 | 16h 13m 26s | -13° 11’ 10” | 19.50 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 03 | 16h 14m 34s | -13° 17’ 30” | 19.49 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 04 | 16h 15m 42s | -13° 23’ 50” | 19.49 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 05 | 16h 16m 51s | -13° 30’ 10” | 19.48 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 06 | 16h 18m 01s | -13° 36’ 28” | 19.48 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 07 | 16h 19m 12s | -13° 42’ 44” | 19.47 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 08 | 16h 20m 24s | -13° 49’ 00” | 19.46 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 09 | 16h 21m 37s | -13° 55’ 15” | 19.46 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 10 | 16h 22m 51s | -14° 01’ 27” | 19.45 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 11 | 16h 24m 05s | -14° 07’ 40” | 19.45 | Scorpius |
| 2024 Oct 12 | 16h 25m 20s | -14° 13’ 49” | 19.44 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 Oct 13 | 16h 26m 37s | -14° 19’ 59” | 19.43 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 Oct 14 | 16h 27m 54s | -14° 26’ 06” | 19.43 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 Oct 15 | 16h 29m 12s | -14° 32’ 12” | 19.42 | Ophiucus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 217P/LINEAR?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 217P/LINEAR from Earth?)
- When does Comet 217P/LINEAR rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 217P/LINEAR?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 217P/LINEAR orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 217P/LINEAR with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 217P/LINEAR for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 217P/LINEAR in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 217P/LINEAR with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.