Latest Comet 22P/Kopff
Comet 22P/Kopff is currently in the constellation of Leo. The current Right Ascension of Comet 22P/Kopff is 10h 21m 49s and the Declination is +14° 30’ 42” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 22P/Kopff is 18.26 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 18.0 (COBS).
Summary of key facts about Comet 22P/Kopff [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 22P/Kopff is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the South direction at an altitude of 53° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 22P/Kopff is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 22P/Kopff rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 22P/Kopff available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 22P/Kopff Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 22P/Kopff 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.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 22P/Kopff is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 22P/Kopff?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 22P/Kopff in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 22P/Kopff Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 22P/Kopff from Earth is currently 415,309,772 kilometers, equivalent to 2.776174 Astronomical Units. Light takes 23 minutes and 5.3243 seconds to travel from Comet 22P/Kopff and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 22P/Kopff 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 22P/Kopff from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 22P/Kopff to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 22P/Kopff to Earth happens on Fri Jul 22 2095 at a distance of 0.196162 Astronomical Units, or 29,345,354 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 22P/Kopff brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 22P/Kopff is 18.26.
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 behavior 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 22P/Kopff, 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 22P/Kopff rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 22P/Kopff rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 22P/Kopff touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 22P/Kopff Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 22P/Kopff at epoch 06 February 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455964.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.54422313 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 4.72428725° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.57578227 AU 235,733,673 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.33892692 AU 798,692,100 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.45735459 AU 517,212,887 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.4300 years 2,348.0877 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-May-24 19:04:10 2,454,976.2946 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2015-Oct-28 21:10 2,457,324.3823 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 162.68558430088° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 120.87244703987° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 151.50795181488° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15331625°/day |
Visualization of Comet 22P/Kopff Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 22P/Kopff with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 22P/Kopff 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 22P/Kopff in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 22P/Kopff 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 22P/Kopff computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 22P/Kopff in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 May 10 | 10h 19m 41s | +14° 48’ 02” | 18.27 | Leo |
| 2021 May 11 | 10h 19m 53s | +14° 46’ 13” | 18.27 | Leo |
| 2021 May 12 | 10h 20m 07s | +14° 44’ 17” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 13 | 10h 20m 21s | +14° 42’ 12” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 14 | 10h 20m 38s | +14° 40’ 01” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 15 | 10h 20m 54s | +14° 37’ 44” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 16 | 10h 21m 12s | +14° 35’ 18” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 17 | 10h 21m 33s | +14° 32’ 47” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 18 | 10h 21m 54s | +14° 30’ 07” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 19 | 10h 22m 15s | +14° 27’ 23” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 20 | 10h 22m 38s | +14° 24’ 30” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 21 | 10h 23m 03s | +14° 21’ 32” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 22 | 10h 23m 29s | +14° 18’ 26” | 18.26 | Leo |
| 2021 May 23 | 10h 23m 56s | +14° 15’ 15” | 18.26 | Leo |