Comet 246P/NEAT
Comet 246P/NEAT is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 246P/NEAT is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 246P/NEAT?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 246P/NEAT 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 246P/NEAT from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 246P/NEAT is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 246P/NEAT 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 246P/NEAT from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 246P/NEAT 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 246P/NEAT 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 246P/NEAT to Earth happens on Thu Jul 1 2021 at a distance of 1.944327 Astronomical Units, or 290,867,158 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 246P/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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 246P/NEAT at epoch 20 May 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456433.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.28504446 |
Orbit inclination | i | 15.97171595° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.87972047 AU 430,800,052 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.17594265 AU 774,310,001 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
4.02783156 AU 602,555,026 km |
Orbital period | period |
8.0838 years 2,952.6052 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Jan-28 15:13:27 2,456,321.1343 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2021-Feb-28 05:44 2,459,273.7395 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 176.17171844065° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 78.780535978111° |
Mean anomaly | M | 13.700320180649° |
Mean motion | n | 0.12192622°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 246P/NEAT in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 246P/NEAT 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 Jan 31 | 04h 04m 17s | +20° 14’ 44” | 19.90 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 01 | 04h 04m 16s | +20° 16’ 13” | 19.91 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 02 | 04h 04m 15s | +20° 17’ 43” | 19.91 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 03 | 04h 04m 14s | +20° 19’ 16” | 19.92 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 04 | 04h 04m 15s | +20° 20’ 50” | 19.93 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 05 | 04h 04m 17s | +20° 22’ 26” | 19.94 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 06 | 04h 04m 19s | +20° 24’ 04” | 19.94 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 07 | 04h 04m 23s | +20° 25’ 42” | 19.95 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 08 | 04h 04m 27s | +20° 27’ 23” | 19.96 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 09 | 04h 04m 32s | +20° 29’ 07” | 19.97 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 10 | 04h 04m 37s | +20° 30’ 51” | 19.97 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 11 | 04h 04m 44s | +20° 32’ 38” | 19.98 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 12 | 04h 04m 51s | +20° 34’ 26” | 19.99 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 13 | 04h 05m 00s | +20° 36’ 15” | 20.00 | Taurus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 246P/NEAT?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 246P/NEAT from Earth?)
- When does Comet 246P/NEAT rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 246P/NEAT?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 246P/NEAT orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 246P/NEAT with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 246P/NEAT for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 246P/NEAT in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 246P/NEAT with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.