Comet 260P/McNaught
Comet 260P/McNaught is in the constellation of
Centaurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 260P/McNaught is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 260P/McNaught?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 260P/McNaught is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught to Earth happens on Fri Oct 4 2019 at a distance of 0.562196 Astronomical Units, or 84,103,294 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 260P/McNaught, 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 260P/McNaught at epoch 12 October 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456943.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.59426383 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 15.76861437° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.49146421 AU 223,119,870 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.86042758 AU 876,707,490 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.67594590 AU 549,913,680 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.0479 years 2,574.2581 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-Sep-12 12:08:17 2,456,183.0058 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2019-Sep-30 18:19 2,458,757.2639 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 15.578161656026° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 351.86319273167° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 106.35216626541° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.13984612°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 260P/McNaught in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 260P/McNaught 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 May 05 | 15h 10m 39s | -36° 18’ 06” | 22.93 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 06 | 15h 09m 41s | -36° 17’ 04” | 22.92 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 07 | 15h 08m 43s | -36° 15’ 55” | 22.91 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 08 | 15h 07m 44s | -36° 14’ 36” | 22.89 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 09 | 15h 06m 45s | -36° 13’ 09” | 22.88 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 10 | 15h 05m 47s | -36° 11’ 33” | 22.87 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 11 | 15h 04m 48s | -36° 09’ 49” | 22.86 | Lupus |
| 2025 May 12 | 15h 03m 49s | -36° 07’ 57” | 22.85 | Centaurus |
| 2025 May 13 | 15h 02m 50s | -36° 05’ 56” | 22.84 | Centaurus |
| 2025 May 14 | 15h 01m 50s | -36° 03’ 48” | 22.83 | Centaurus |
| 2025 May 15 | 15h 00m 51s | -36° 01’ 30” | 22.81 | Centaurus |
| 2025 May 16 | 14h 59m 52s | -35° 59’ 06” | 22.80 | Centaurus |
| 2025 May 17 | 14h 58m 53s | -35° 56’ 32” | 22.79 | Centaurus |
| 2025 May 18 | 14h 57m 53s | -35° 53’ 52” | 22.78 | Centaurus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 260P/McNaught: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com
- Where is Comet 260P/McNaught?: Key information on locating Comet 260P/McNaught in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 260P/McNaught is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 260P/McNaught?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 260P/McNaught's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 260P/McNaught's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 260P/McNaught's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 260P/McNaught orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 260P/McNaught with respect to the major Solar System objects.