We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate Now! Help keep this site free and ads-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf

Altitude: -10.3°   Azimuth: 218.7°   Direction: South-West

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf is currently in the constellation of Scorpius, at a distance of 4,985,477,839 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf in Scorpius on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf in Scorpius on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf is 17h 32m 49s and the Declination is -38° 09’ 57” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf is 27.61 (JPL).

17h 32m 49s
-38° 09’ 57”
Scorpius
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
27.61

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 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 128.2°
Max altitude: 0.4°
Azimuth: 231.8°
  • 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf 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.

Additional Resources

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf
Map showing Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf in Scorpius on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

23P/Brorsen-Metcalf
RA: 17h 32m 49s
Dec: -38° 09’ 57”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf from Earth is currently 4,985,477,839 kilometers, equivalent to 33.325861 Astronomical Units. Light takes 4 hours, 37 minutes and 9.7640 seconds to travel from Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf and arrive to us.

4,985,477,839
33.325861
4 hours, 37 minutes and 9.7640 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf 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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf to Earth happens on Tue Jun 10 2059 at a distance of 1.485167 Astronomical Units, or 222,177,799 kilometers:

Tue Jun 10 2059
222,177,799
1.485167

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf, 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf as a function of time

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf at epoch 30 September 1989 00:00 UTC (JD: 2447800.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.97195226
Orbit inclination i 19.33394047°
Perihelion distance q 0.47875271 AU
71,620,386 km
Aphelion distance Q 33.65966096 AU
5,035,413,618 km
Semi-major axis a 17.06920683 AU
2,553,517,002 km
Orbital period period 70.5226 years
25,758.3736 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 1989-Sep-11 22:29:54
2,447,781.4374 JD
Next perihelion transit 2060-Mar-21 07:27
2,473,539.8111 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 129.61068367887°
Longitude of the ascending node node 311.58546221411°
Mean anomaly M 0.26641915255031°
Mean motion n 0.01397604°/day

Visualization of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf 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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf
View Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 17h 32m 48s -38° 06’ 39” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 13 17h 32m 48s -38° 07’ 06” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 14 17h 32m 49s -38° 07’ 33” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 15 17h 32m 49s -38° 08’ 00” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 16 17h 32m 49s -38° 08’ 26” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 17 17h 32m 50s -38° 08’ 53” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 18 17h 32m 49s -38° 09’ 20” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 19 17h 32m 49s -38° 09’ 47” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 20 17h 32m 49s -38° 10’ 14” 27.61 Scorpius
2024 Mar 21 17h 32m 48s -38° 10’ 40” 27.60 Scorpius
2024 Mar 22 17h 32m 48s -38° 11’ 06” 27.60 Scorpius
2024 Mar 23 17h 32m 47s -38° 11’ 31” 27.60 Scorpius
2024 Mar 24 17h 32m 45s -38° 11’ 57” 27.60 Scorpius
2024 Mar 25 17h 32m 44s -38° 12’ 24” 27.60 Scorpius