Comet 287P/Christensen
Comet 287P/Christensen is currently in the constellation of Cetus, at a distance of 648,466,556 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 287P/Christensen from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 287P/Christensen is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 2° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 287P/Christensen is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 287P/Christensen 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 287P/Christensen is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 287P/Christensen?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 287P/Christensen in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 287P/Christensen Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 287P/Christensen from Earth is currently 648,466,556 kilometers, equivalent to 4.334731 Astronomical Units. Light takes 36 minutes and 3.0516 seconds to travel from Comet 287P/Christensen and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 287P/Christensen 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 287P/Christensen from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 287P/Christensen to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 287P/Christensen to Earth happens on Thu Aug 31 2023 at a distance of 2.046697 Astronomical Units, or 306,181,458 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 287P/Christensen Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 287P/Christensen, 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 287P/Christensen Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 287P/Christensen at epoch 10 July 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456484.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.26936948 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 16.29835487° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.05311997 AU 456,740,248 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.30437366 AU 793,523,006 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.17874682 AU 625,131,627 km |
| Orbital period | period |
8.5423 years 3,120.0928 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Dec-28 17:13:00 2,457,020.2174 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Jul-14 19:26 2,460,140.3102 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 189.14864423695° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 139.06888892645° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 298.18829728155° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.11538118°/day |
Visualization of Comet 287P/Christensen Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 287P/Christensen with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 287P/Christensen 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 287P/Christensen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 287P/Christensen 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 287P/Christensen computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 287P/Christensen in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 20 | 01h 50m 39s | -00° 52’ 09” | 20.56 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 01h 52m 00s | -00° 45’ 34” | 20.56 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 01h 53m 22s | -00° 39’ 02” | 20.57 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 01h 54m 45s | -00° 32’ 34” | 20.58 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 01h 56m 06s | -00° 26’ 08” | 20.58 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 01h 57m 28s | -00° 19’ 45” | 20.59 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 01h 58m 49s | -00° 13’ 26” | 20.59 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 02h 00m 11s | -00° 07’ 09” | 20.60 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 02h 01m 32s | -00° 00’ 56” | 20.60 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 02h 02m 53s | +00° 05’ 12” | 20.61 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 02h 04m 14s | +00° 11’ 18” | 20.62 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 01 | 02h 05m 35s | +00° 17’ 21” | 20.62 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 02 | 02h 06m 56s | +00° 23’ 21” | 20.63 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 03 | 02h 08m 17s | +00° 29’ 18” | 20.63 | Cetus |