Comet 230P/LINEAR
Comet 230P/LINEAR is in the constellation of
Ophiuchus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 230P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 230P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 230P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 230P/LINEAR from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 230P/LINEAR is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 22.69° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 230P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 230P/LINEAR from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 230P/LINEAR 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 230P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 230P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Sat Dec 5 2015 at a distance of 0.547771 Astronomical Units, or 81,945,380 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 230P/LINEAR, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 230P/LINEAR at epoch 29 June 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457203.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.56311578 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 14.65305272° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.48529093 AU 222,196,361 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.31418069 AU 794,990,117 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.39973581 AU 508,593,239 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.2687 years 2,289.6346 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Nov-18 01:34:02 2,457,344.5653 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Feb-23 16:47 2,459,634.1999 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 308.91291272124° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 112.39658169462° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 337.82025605544° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15723033°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 230P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 230P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Feb 01 | 16h 21m 49s | -09° 42’ 07” | 22.96 | Scorpius |
| 2025 Feb 02 | 16h 22m 18s | -09° 41’ 56” | 22.95 | Scorpius |
| 2025 Feb 03 | 16h 22m 47s | -09° 41’ 43” | 22.95 | Scorpius |
| 2025 Feb 04 | 16h 23m 15s | -09° 41’ 27” | 22.94 | Scorpius |
| 2025 Feb 05 | 16h 23m 43s | -09° 41’ 09” | 22.94 | Scorpius |
| 2025 Feb 06 | 16h 24m 10s | -09° 40’ 48” | 22.93 | Scorpius |
| 2025 Feb 07 | 16h 24m 37s | -09° 40’ 24” | 22.93 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 08 | 16h 25m 03s | -09° 39’ 57” | 22.92 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 09 | 16h 25m 29s | -09° 39’ 28” | 22.92 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 10 | 16h 25m 53s | -09° 38’ 55” | 22.91 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 11 | 16h 26m 18s | -09° 38’ 20” | 22.90 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 12 | 16h 26m 41s | -09° 37’ 44” | 22.90 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 13 | 16h 27m 05s | -09° 37’ 04” | 22.89 | Ophiuchus |
| 2025 Feb 14 | 16h 27m 27s | -09° 36’ 21” | 22.89 | Ophiuchus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 230P/LINEAR?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 230P/LINEAR from Earth?)
- When does Comet 230P/LINEAR rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 230P/LINEAR?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 230P/LINEAR orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 230P/LINEAR with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 230P/LINEAR for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 230P/LINEAR in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 230P/LINEAR with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.