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
The Observed Magnitude and Coma Diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behvior of comets. When available please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
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 Europe/London timezone.
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 | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Feb 16 | 06h 07m 27s | -22° 08’ 24” | 17.13 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 17 | 06h 07m 50s | -21° 47’ 57” | 17.16 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 18 | 06h 08m 17s | -21° 27’ 41” | 17.20 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 19 | 06h 08m 44s | -21° 07’ 32” | 17.23 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 20 | 06h 09m 12s | -20° 47’ 33” | 17.27 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 21 | 06h 09m 43s | -20° 27’ 42” | 17.30 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 22 | 06h 10m 14s | -20° 08’ 02” | 17.34 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 23 | 06h 10m 47s | -19° 48’ 30” | 17.37 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 24 | 06h 11m 21s | -19° 29’ 09” | 17.41 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 25 | 06h 11m 57s | -19° 09’ 59” | 17.44 | Lepus |
| 2019 Feb 26 | 06h 12m 33s | -18° 50’ 57” | 17.48 | Canis Majoris |
| 2019 Feb 27 | 06h 13m 11s | -18° 32’ 08” | 17.51 | Canis Majoris |
| 2019 Feb 28 | 06h 13m 51s | -18° 13’ 28” | 17.54 | Canis Majoris |
| 2019 Mar 01 | 06h 14m 31s | -17° 55’ 00” | 17.58 | Canis Majoris |
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 09 July 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458309.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.71043804 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 31.99742071° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.01281453 AU 151,514,897 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.98267993 AU 894,996,180 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.49774723 AU 523,255,539 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5400 years 2,389.3571 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Sep-10 06:40:48 2,458,371.7783 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Mar-26 15:14 2,460,761.1354 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.86224872992° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 195.39123587667° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 350.61663752864° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15066815°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2078-Oct-17 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.11352264 AU 16,982,745 km |
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2100-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.