Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is currently in the constellation of Taurus. The current Right Ascension of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is 03h 35m 55s and the Declination is +11° 55’ 42” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is 23.74 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the West direction at an altitude of 7° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup from Earth is currently 807,235,062 kilometers, equivalent to 5.396033 Astronomical Units. Light takes 44 minutes and 52.6463 seconds to travel from Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup to Earth happens on Thu Apr 15 2083 at a distance of 0.309259 Astronomical Units, or 46,264,500 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is 23.74.
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 behavior 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.
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 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup at epoch 29 April 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455316.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63356216 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 22.39117994° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.11361653 AU 166,594,662 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.96444863 AU 742,670,946 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.03903258 AU 454,632,804 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.2980 years 1,935.0913 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2008-Mar-23 15:46:37 2,454,549.1574 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2013-Jul-10 17:58 2,456,484.2487 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 1.6546394429145° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 211.64549640077° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 142.75468196299° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18603773°/day |
Visualization of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Orbit
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 15 Days 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 May 12 | 03h 28m 40s | +11° 38’ 13” | 23.76 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 13 | 03h 29m 35s | +11° 40’ 35” | 23.76 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 14 | 03h 30m 32s | +11° 42’ 55” | 23.75 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 15 | 03h 31m 27s | +11° 45’ 14” | 23.75 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 16 | 03h 32m 24s | +11° 47’ 30” | 23.75 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 17 | 03h 33m 20s | +11° 49’ 44” | 23.75 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 18 | 03h 34m 17s | +11° 51’ 56” | 23.74 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 19 | 03h 35m 12s | +11° 54’ 06” | 23.74 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 20 | 03h 36m 10s | +11° 56’ 16” | 23.74 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 21 | 03h 37m 05s | +11° 58’ 22” | 23.73 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 22 | 03h 38m 03s | +12° 00’ 27” | 23.73 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 23 | 03h 38m 59s | +12° 02’ 29” | 23.73 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 24 | 03h 39m 56s | +12° 04’ 29” | 23.72 | Taurus |
| 2022 May 25 | 03h 40m 54s | +12° 06’ 28” | 23.72 | Taurus |