Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 04 | 17h 33m 17s | -11° 36’ 06” | 18.71 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 05 | 17h 36m 51s | -11° 32’ 25” | 18.75 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 17h 40m 24s | -11° 28’ 32” | 18.78 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 17h 43m 55s | -11° 24’ 28” | 18.82 | Ophiucus |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 17h 47m 26s | -11° 20’ 12” | 18.86 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 17h 50m 54s | -11° 15’ 47” | 18.90 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 17h 54m 23s | -11° 11’ 09” | 18.94 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 17h 57m 48s | -11° 06’ 23” | 18.98 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 18h 01m 14s | -11° 01’ 24” | 19.02 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 18h 04m 37s | -10° 56’ 16” | 19.06 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 18h 07m 59s | -10° 50’ 57” | 19.10 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 18h 11m 21s | -10° 45’ 29” | 19.14 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 18h 14m 40s | -10° 39’ 51” | 19.18 | Serpens |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 18h 18m 00s | -10° 34’ 04” | 19.22 | Serpens |
Distance of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup, 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup at epoch 27 June 2007 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454279.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63307172 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 22.35695638° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.11673172 AU 167,060,688 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.97018923 AU 743,529,728 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.04346048 AU 455,295,208 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3100 years 1,939.3220 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2008-Mar-23 16:08:41 2,454,549.1727 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2013-Jul-14 23:52 2,456,488.4947 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 1.7005449644509° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 211.71238175969° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 309.94014754112° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18563188°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2029-Mar-13 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.63217546 AU 94,572,103 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.