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
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is circumpolar from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] and transits at 03:08 UTC (altitude: 82.9°)
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 Jun 14 | 15.18 | 20h 51m 57s | +40° 24’ 19” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 15 | 15.14 | 20h 53m 48s | +40° 58’ 11” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 16 | 15.10 | 20h 55m 42s | +41° 32’ 09” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 17 | 15.06 | 20h 57m 38s | +42° 06’ 14” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 18 | 15.02 | 20h 59m 35s | +42° 40’ 23” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 19 | 14.98 | 21h 01m 33s | +43° 14’ 35” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 20 | 14.94 | 21h 03m 34s | +43° 48’ 52” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 21 | 14.90 | 21h 05m 38s | +44° 23’ 12” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 22 | 14.86 | 21h 07m 42s | +44° 57’ 36” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 23 | 14.82 | 21h 09m 51s | +45° 32’ 02” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 24 | 14.78 | 21h 12m 01s | +46° 06’ 29” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 25 | 14.74 | 21h 14m 15s | +46° 40’ 59” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 26 | 14.69 | 21h 16m 31s | +47° 15’ 30” | Cygnus |
| 2018 Jun 27 | 14.65 | 21h 18m 50s | +47° 50’ 02” | Cygnus |
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 29 December 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458117.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.71048685 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 32.00024171° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.01315110 AU 151,565,248 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.98584778 AU 895,470,083 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.49949944 AU 523,517,666 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5500 years 2,391.1527 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Sep-10 06:27:47 2,458,371.7693 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.83191932167° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 195.40028173068° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 321.71848657008° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15055500°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2058-Sep-18 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.37340131 AU 55,860,041 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.