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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:47  
clear_day Transit: 12:50  
SunsetSet: 18:52 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet 242P/Spahr

Altitude: -15.9°   Azimuth: 289.1°   Direction: West-North-West

Comet 242P/Spahr is currently in the constellation of Cetus. The current Right Ascension of Comet 242P/Spahr is 00h 28m 59s and the Declination is -00° 59’ 52” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 242P/Spahr is 18.83 (JPL).

00h 28m 59s
-00° 59’ 52”
Cetus
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
18.83

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 242P/Spahr from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 91.1°
Max altitude: 37.6°
Azimuth: 269.0°
  • 242P/Spahr is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 242P/Spahr is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

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Available Resources

Comet 242P/Spahr Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 242P/Spahr 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.

Finder chart of 242P/Spahr in Cetus on September,24 2023
Map showing Comet 242P/Spahr in Cetus on September, 24 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 242P/Spahr
Map showing Comet 242P/Spahr in Cetus on September, 24 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 242P/Spahr is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

242P/Spahr
RA: 00h 28m 59s
Dec: -00° 59’ 52”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 242P/Spahr
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet 242P/Spahr?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 242P/Spahr in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 242P/Spahr Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 242P/Spahr from Earth is currently 516,612,107 kilometers, equivalent to 3.453339 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 43.2325 seconds to travel from Comet 242P/Spahr and arrive to us.

516,612,107
3.453339
28 minutes and 43.2325 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 242P/Spahr 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 242P/Spahr 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 242P/Spahr from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 242P/Spahr to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 242P/Spahr to Earth happens on Fri Oct 17 2036 at a distance of 3.065836 Astronomical Units, or 458,642,481 kilometers:

Fri Oct 17 2036
458,642,481
3.065836

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

Comet 242P/Spahr Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 242P/Spahr, 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 242P/Spahr as a function of time

Comet 242P/Spahr Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 242P/Spahr at epoch 30 September 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455470.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.31060857
Orbit inclination i 32.70387937°
Perihelion distance q 3.91921318 AU
586,305,948 km
Aphelion distance Q 7.45085331 AU
1,114,631,792 km
Semi-major axis a 5.68503324 AU
850,468,870 km
Orbital period period 13.5553 years
4,951.0572 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2012-Mar-31 17:06:43
2,456,018.2130 JD
Next perihelion transit 2025-Oct-20 18:29
2,460,969.2702 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 248.52949968913°
Longitude of the ascending node node 181.02804796066°
Mean anomaly M 320.17483230633°
Mean motion n 0.07271174°/day

Visualization of Comet 242P/Spahr Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 242P/Spahr with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 242P/Spahr 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 242P/Spahr
View Comet 242P/Spahr in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 242P/Spahr 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 242P/Spahr computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 242P/Spahr in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 17 00h 32m 17s -00° 00’ 21” 18.87 Cetus
2023 Sep 18 00h 31m 51s -00° 08’ 24” 18.86 Cetus
2023 Sep 19 00h 31m 24s -00° 16’ 27” 18.86 Cetus
2023 Sep 20 00h 30m 57s -00° 24’ 33” 18.85 Cetus
2023 Sep 21 00h 30m 30s -00° 32’ 40” 18.85 Cetus
2023 Sep 22 00h 30m 03s -00° 40’ 50” 18.84 Cetus
2023 Sep 23 00h 29m 35s -00° 48’ 59” 18.84 Cetus
2023 Sep 24 00h 29m 08s -00° 57’ 09” 18.83 Cetus
2023 Sep 25 00h 28m 41s -01° 05’ 20” 18.83 Cetus
2023 Sep 26 00h 28m 13s -01° 13’ 30” 18.83 Cetus
2023 Sep 27 00h 27m 43s -01° 21’ 41” 18.82 Cetus
2023 Sep 28 00h 27m 15s -01° 29’ 52” 18.82 Cetus
2023 Sep 29 00h 26m 48s -01° 38’ 02” 18.81 Cetus
2023 Sep 30 00h 26m 18s -01° 46’ 10” 18.81 Pisces