Comet 240P/NEAT
Comet 240P/NEAT Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 240P/NEAT 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 240P/NEAT Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 240P/NEAT rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 240P/NEAT Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 240P/NEAT with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 240P/NEAT 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 240P/NEAT in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 240P/NEAT Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 240P/NEAT computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 240P/NEAT in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Oct 09 | 09h 37m 13s | +28° 46’ 23” | 16.31 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 10 | 09h 39m 06s | +28° 46’ 02” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 11 | 09h 40m 59s | +28° 45’ 44” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 12 | 09h 42m 52s | +28° 45’ 29” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 13 | 09h 44m 45s | +28° 45’ 15” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 14 | 09h 46m 36s | +28° 45’ 05” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 15 | 09h 48m 28s | +28° 44’ 57” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 16 | 09h 50m 17s | +28° 44’ 52” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 17 | 09h 52m 08s | +28° 44’ 50” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 18 | 09h 53m 56s | +28° 44’ 53” | 16.32 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 19 | 09h 55m 45s | +28° 44’ 58” | 16.33 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 20 | 09h 57m 32s | +28° 45’ 07” | 16.33 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 21 | 09h 59m 18s | +28° 45’ 20” | 16.33 | Leo |
| 2018 Oct 22 | 10h 01m 05s | +28° 45’ 38” | 16.33 | Leo Minor |
Distance of Comet 240P/NEAT from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 240P/NEAT 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 240P/NEAT is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 240P/NEAT
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 240P/NEAT, 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 240P/NEAT Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 240P/NEAT at epoch 01 October 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456202.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.45019210 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 23.52368996° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.12543998 AU 317,961,296 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.60613312 AU 838,665,580 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.86578655 AU 578,313,438 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.6000 years 2,776.2287 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Oct-04 13:48:23 2,455,474.0753 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-May-11 19:17 2,458,250.3039 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 352.05967352346° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 74.954844706784° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 94.45652110167° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12967232°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2055-Nov-22 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.13482010 AU 169,766,671 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.