Comet 252P/LINEAR
Comet 252P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 869,285,965 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 252P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 252P/LINEAR is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 30° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 252P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 252P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 252P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 252P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 252P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 252P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 869,285,965 kilometers, equivalent to 5.810818 Astronomical Units. Light takes 48 minutes and 19.6259 seconds to travel from Comet 252P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 252P/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 252P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 252P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 252P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Tue Mar 22 2016 at a distance of 0.035735 Astronomical Units, or 5,345,817 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 252P/LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 252P/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 252P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 252P/LINEAR at epoch 12 June 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457552.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.67308502 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.42219597° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.99604590 AU 149,006,346 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.09756221 AU 762,584,455 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.04680406 AU 455,795,400 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3183 years 1,942.5187 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Mar-15 06:19:30 2,457,462.7635 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Jul-09 18:46 2,459,405.2823 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 343.31047464389° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 190.94849576985° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 16.630533941618° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18532640°/day |
Visualization of Comet 252P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 252P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 252P/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 252P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 252P/LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 252P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 252P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 28 | 00h 08m 52s | +03° 21’ 23” | 31.91 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 00h 09m 32s | +03° 25’ 27” | 31.91 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 00h 10m 12s | +03° 29’ 30” | 31.90 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 01 | 00h 10m 51s | +03° 33’ 32” | 31.90 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 02 | 00h 11m 30s | +03° 37’ 32” | 31.89 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 03 | 00h 12m 11s | +03° 41’ 30” | 31.89 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 04 | 00h 12m 48s | +03° 45’ 26” | 31.88 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 05 | 00h 13m 27s | +03° 49’ 23” | 31.88 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 06 | 00h 14m 05s | +03° 53’ 17” | 31.87 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 07 | 00h 14m 44s | +03° 57’ 09” | 31.87 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 08 | 00h 15m 21s | +04° 01’ 00” | 31.87 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 09 | 00h 16m 00s | +04° 04’ 49” | 31.86 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 10 | 00h 16m 36s | +04° 08’ 35” | 31.86 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 11 | 00h 17m 13s | +04° 12’ 20” | 31.85 | Pisces |