Comet 284P/McNaught
Comet 284P/McNaught is in the constellation of
Leo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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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 South-West direction at an altitude of 38.67° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 284P/McNaught is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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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 |
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 Jun 15 | 10h 58m 12s | +12° 28’ 11” | 24.81 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 16 | 10h 58m 36s | +12° 25’ 29” | 24.82 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 17 | 10h 59m 00s | +12° 22’ 46” | 24.82 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 18 | 10h 59m 25s | +12° 19’ 59” | 24.83 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 19 | 10h 59m 51s | +12° 17’ 09” | 24.83 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 20 | 11h 00m 17s | +12° 14’ 15” | 24.84 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 21 | 11h 00m 43s | +12° 11’ 19” | 24.85 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 22 | 11h 01m 10s | +12° 08’ 20” | 24.85 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 23 | 11h 01m 38s | +12° 05’ 18” | 24.86 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 24 | 11h 02m 06s | +12° 02’ 12” | 24.86 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 25 | 11h 02m 35s | +11° 59’ 04” | 24.87 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 26 | 11h 03m 04s | +11° 55’ 54” | 24.87 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 27 | 11h 03m 33s | +11° 52’ 40” | 24.88 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 28 | 11h 04m 03s | +11° 49’ 23” | 24.88 | Leo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 284P/McNaught: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 284P/McNaught?: Key information on where to find Comet 284P/McNaught in the sky.
- Distance of Comet 284P/McNaught from Earth: Find out how far Comet 284P/McNaught is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 284P/McNaught?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of Comet 284P/McNaught from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 284P/McNaught's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of Comet 284P/McNaught's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 284P/McNaught's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about Comet 284P/McNaught orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 284P/McNaught with respect to the major Solar System objects.