Comet 284P/McNaught
Comet 284P/McNaught is currently in the constellation of Cancer, at a distance of 684,166,596 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 284P/McNaught from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 284P/McNaught is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 284P/McNaught is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 284P/McNaught Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher 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.
Comet 284P/McNaught Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 284P/McNaught from Earth is currently 684,166,596 kilometers, equivalent to 4.573371 Astronomical Units. Light takes 38 minutes and 2.1341 seconds to travel from Comet 284P/McNaught and arrive to us.
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 of Comet 284P/McNaught to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 284P/McNaught to Earth happens on Sun Oct 8 2090 at a distance of 1.020509 Astronomical Units, or 152,665,955 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 284P/McNaught Brightness and 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.
Comet 284P/McNaught Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 284P/McNaught at epoch 04 October 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456570.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.37696784 |
Orbit inclination | i | 11.86209134° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.28921595 AU 342,461,832 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.05941255 AU 756,877,345 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.67431425 AU 549,669,589 km |
Orbital period | period |
7.0432 years 2,572.5444 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Sep-02 12:09:45 2,456,903.0068 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2021-Sep-18 01:13 2,459,475.5511 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 202.87158087445° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 144.29768321929° |
Mean anomaly | M | 313.46924253121° |
Mean motion | n | 0.13993928°/day |
Visualization of Comet 284P/McNaught Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 284P/McNaught with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 284P/McNaught 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 284P/McNaught in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 284P/McNaught 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 284P/McNaught in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Apr 16 | 08h 53m 00s | +17° 07’ 23” | 24.69 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 17 | 08h 53m 08s | +17° 08’ 00” | 24.70 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 18 | 08h 53m 17s | +17° 08’ 35” | 24.71 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 19 | 08h 53m 26s | +17° 09’ 06” | 24.72 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 20 | 08h 53m 35s | +17° 09’ 33” | 24.73 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 21 | 08h 53m 45s | +17° 09’ 56” | 24.74 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 22 | 08h 53m 57s | +17° 10’ 15” | 24.75 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 23 | 08h 54m 08s | +17° 10’ 32” | 24.76 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 24 | 08h 54m 21s | +17° 10’ 45” | 24.78 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 25 | 08h 54m 34s | +17° 10’ 53” | 24.79 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 26 | 08h 54m 48s | +17° 10’ 58” | 24.80 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 27 | 08h 55m 04s | +17° 10’ 59” | 24.81 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 28 | 08h 55m 19s | +17° 10’ 57” | 24.82 | Cancer |
2024 Apr 29 | 08h 55m 36s | +17° 10’ 50” | 24.83 | Cancer |