Comet 230P/LINEAR
Comet 230P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of 583,620,951 kilometers from Earth.
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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.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 230P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 230P/LINEAR is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 35° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 230P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 230P/LINEAR Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher 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.
Comet 230P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 230P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 583,620,951 kilometers, equivalent to 3.901265 Astronomical Units. Light takes 32 minutes and 26.7499 seconds to travel from Comet 230P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
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 of Comet 230P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 230P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Sat Dec 5 2015 at a distance of 0.547771 Astronomical Units, or 81,945,347 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 230P/LINEAR Brightness and 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.
Comet 230P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 230P/LINEAR at epoch 16 May 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456794.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.56330685 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 14.65405958° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.48497397 AU 222,148,945 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.31602102 AU 795,265,427 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.40049750 AU 508,707,186 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.2708 years 2,290.4041 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Nov-17 23:32:26 2,457,344.4809 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Feb-24 09:14 2,459,634.8850 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 308.90760658997° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 112.39840717756° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 273.55538077034° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15717750°/day |
Visualization of Comet 230P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 230P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 230P/LINEAR 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 230P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 230P/LINEAR 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 230P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 16 | 14h 54m 17s | +02° 20’ 32” | 21.98 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 17 | 14h 53m 40s | +02° 24’ 02” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 18 | 14h 53m 03s | +02° 27’ 28” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 14h 52m 26s | +02° 30’ 51” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 14h 51m 47s | +02° 34’ 09” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 14h 51m 10s | +02° 37’ 26” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 14h 50m 30s | +02° 40’ 36” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 14h 49m 53s | +02° 43’ 44” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 14h 49m 14s | +02° 46’ 47” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 14h 48m 34s | +02° 49’ 46” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 14h 47m 56s | +02° 52’ 41” | 21.99 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 14h 47m 16s | +02° 55’ 32” | 22.00 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 14h 46m 36s | +02° 58’ 17” | 22.00 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 14h 45m 56s | +03° 00’ 57” | 22.00 | Virgo |