Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is currently in the constellation of Virgo.
The current Right Ascension of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is 13h 20m 56s and the Declination is +00° 46’ 19” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom ). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is 22.36 (JPL).
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.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner from Earth is currently 663,741,316 kilometers, equivalent to 4.436837 Astronomical Units. Light takes 36 minutes and 54.0027 seconds to travel from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner 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 21P/Giacobini-Zinner from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner to Earth happens on Fri Oct 28 2078 at a distance of 0.255783 Astronomical Units, or 38,264,665 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, 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 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner at epoch 05 November 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458063.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.71046678 |
Orbit inclination | i | 32.00303376° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.01349375 AU 151,616,507 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.98738696 AU 895,700,342 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.50044036 AU 523,658,425 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.5493 years 2,392.1172 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Sep-10 06:22:16 2,458,371.7655 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2025-Mar-29 09:11 2,460,763.8826 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.80915964581° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 195.40514495049° |
Mean anomaly | M | 313.60780403717° |
Mean motion | n | 0.15049430°/day |
Visualization of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner 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 21P/Giacobini-Zinner in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 May 25 | 13h 23m 45s | +00° 25’ 41” | 22.35 | Virgo |
2023 May 26 | 13h 23m 21s | +00° 28’ 50” | 22.35 | Virgo |
2023 May 27 | 13h 22m 55s | +00° 31’ 53” | 22.35 | Virgo |
2023 May 28 | 13h 22m 32s | +00° 34’ 50” | 22.36 | Virgo |
2023 May 29 | 13h 22m 08s | +00° 37’ 41” | 22.36 | Virgo |
2023 May 30 | 13h 21m 46s | +00° 40’ 27” | 22.36 | Virgo |
2023 May 31 | 13h 21m 23s | +00° 43’ 08” | 22.36 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 01 | 13h 21m 02s | +00° 45’ 42” | 22.36 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 02 | 13h 20m 40s | +00° 48’ 11” | 22.37 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 03 | 13h 20m 21s | +00° 50’ 35” | 22.37 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 04 | 13h 20m 02s | +00° 52’ 53” | 22.37 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 05 | 13h 19m 44s | +00° 55’ 05” | 22.37 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 06 | 13h 19m 26s | +00° 57’ 11” | 22.38 | Virgo |
2023 Jun 07 | 13h 19m 09s | +00° 59’ 12” | 22.38 | Virgo |