Comet 284P/McNaught
Comet 284P/McNaught is in the constellation of
Leo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 284P/McNaught is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 284P/McNaught?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 284P/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 284P/McNaught from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 284P/McNaught is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 17.70° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 284P/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 284P/McNaught from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 284P/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 284P/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 284P/McNaught to Earth happens on Fri Oct 6 2090 at a distance of 1.005206 Astronomical Units, or 150,376,662 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 284P/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 284P/McNaught at epoch 21 July 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458321.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.37568432 |
Orbit inclination | i | 11.85991502° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.29279963 AU 342,997,944 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.05220131 AU 755,798,560 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.67250047 AU 549,398,252 km |
Orbital period | period |
7.0380 years 2,570.6397 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2021-Sep-14 05:45:32 2,459,471.7400 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2028-Sep-27 21:06 2,462,042.3797 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 202.77384461202° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 144.29311624° |
Mean anomaly | M | 198.91699009521° |
Mean motion | n | 0.14004296°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 284P/McNaught in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 284P/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 Feb 08 | 11h 28m 20s | +08° 35’ 56” | 24.36 | Leo |
2025 Feb 09 | 11h 27m 54s | +08° 40’ 20” | 24.36 | Leo |
2025 Feb 10 | 11h 27m 28s | +08° 44’ 47” | 24.36 | Leo |
2025 Feb 11 | 11h 27m 01s | +08° 49’ 16” | 24.35 | Leo |
2025 Feb 12 | 11h 26m 33s | +08° 53’ 48” | 24.35 | Leo |
2025 Feb 13 | 11h 26m 05s | +08° 58’ 21” | 24.34 | Leo |
2025 Feb 14 | 11h 25m 37s | +09° 02’ 57” | 24.34 | Leo |
2025 Feb 15 | 11h 25m 08s | +09° 07’ 35” | 24.34 | Leo |
2025 Feb 16 | 11h 24m 38s | +09° 12’ 15” | 24.34 | Leo |
2025 Feb 17 | 11h 24m 08s | +09° 16’ 57” | 24.33 | Leo |
2025 Feb 18 | 11h 23m 38s | +09° 21’ 39” | 24.33 | Leo |
2025 Feb 19 | 11h 23m 07s | +09° 26’ 23” | 24.33 | Leo |
2025 Feb 20 | 11h 22m 36s | +09° 31’ 08” | 24.33 | Leo |
2025 Feb 21 | 11h 22m 04s | +09° 35’ 54” | 24.32 | Leo |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 284P/McNaught?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 284P/McNaught from Earth?)
- When does Comet 284P/McNaught rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 284P/McNaught?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 284P/McNaught orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 284P/McNaught with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 284P/McNaught for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 284P/McNaught in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 284P/McNaught with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.