Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner 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 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the local timezone Europe/London.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Orbit Diagram
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 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 | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Apr 16 | 16.17 | 19h 18m 52s | +12° 54’ 08” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 17 | 16.12 | 19h 20m 23s | +13° 14’ 56” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 18 | 16.07 | 19h 21m 53s | +13° 35’ 58” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 19 | 16.02 | 19h 23m 25s | +13° 57’ 18” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 20 | 15.97 | 19h 24m 56s | +14° 18’ 51” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 21 | 15.92 | 19h 26m 26s | +14° 40’ 41” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 22 | 15.87 | 19h 27m 56s | +15° 02’ 48” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 23 | 15.82 | 19h 29m 26s | +15° 25’ 09” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 24 | 15.77 | 19h 30m 57s | +15° 47’ 45” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 25 | 15.71 | 19h 32m 27s | +16° 10’ 38” | Aquila |
| 2018 Apr 26 | 15.66 | 19h 33m 59s | +16° 33’ 47” | Sagitta |
| 2018 Apr 27 | 15.61 | 19h 35m 29s | +16° 57’ 11” | Sagitta |
| 2018 Apr 28 | 15.56 | 19h 36m 59s | +17° 20’ 52” | Sagitta |
| 2018 Apr 29 | 15.50 | 19h 38m 30s | +17° 44’ 48” | Sagitta |
Distance of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner 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 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
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 14 July 2008 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454662.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.70613929 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 31.85199570° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.03524873 AU 154,871,006 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.01059779 AU 899,172,632 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.52292326 AU 527,021,819 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.6100 years 2,415.2006 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2005-Jul-02 22:58:55 2,453,554.4576 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2012-Feb-12 03:47 2,455,969.6582 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.5126988044° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 195.39380765818° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 165.16030751433° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14905594°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Sep-11 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.39085753 AU 58,471,455 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.