Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet 289P/Blanpain in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet 289P/Blanpain
Comet 289P/Blanpain is in the constellation of Leo, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 289P/Blanpain in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet 289P/Blanpain against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial 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
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet 289P/Blanpain from Hall bei Admont, Austria (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/Vienna):
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 289P/Blanpain from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet 289P/Blanpain from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 289P/Blanpain from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet 289P/Blanpain to Earth happened on Friday 12 December 2003 at a distance of 0.025041 Astronomical Units, or 3,746,121 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet 289P/Blanpain, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet 289P/Blanpain at epoch September, 19 2019 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458746.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68514056 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 5.89739346° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.95887602 AU 143,445,810 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.13194356 AU 767,727,831 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.04540979 AU 455,586,821 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.3147 years 1,941.1855 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | December 20, 2019 2,458,838.4914 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | April 14, 2025 2,460,779.6769 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 9.8492390066117° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.924028852313° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 342.9398585687° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18545368°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet 289P/Blanpain relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet 289P/Blanpain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 2025 | 09h 25m 30s | +19° 17’ 57” | 24.44 | Leo |
| Jul 06 2025 | 09h 28m 47s | +19° 02’ 41” | 24.47 | Leo |
| Jul 07 2025 | 09h 32m 02s | +18° 47’ 19” | 24.49 | Leo |
| Jul 08 2025 | 09h 35m 16s | +18° 31’ 53” | 24.52 | Leo |
| Jul 09 2025 | 09h 38m 27s | +18° 16’ 23” | 24.54 | Leo |
| Jul 10 2025 | 09h 41m 35s | +18° 00’ 49” | 24.56 | Leo |
| Jul 11 2025 | 09h 44m 43s | +17° 45’ 12” | 24.59 | Leo |
| Jul 12 2025 | 09h 47m 48s | +17° 29’ 32” | 24.61 | Leo |
| Jul 13 2025 | 09h 50m 52s | +17° 13’ 50” | 24.64 | Leo |
| Jul 14 2025 | 09h 53m 54s | +16° 58’ 06” | 24.66 | Leo |
| Jul 15 2025 | 09h 56m 52s | +16° 42’ 19” | 24.68 | Leo |
| Jul 16 2025 | 09h 59m 50s | +16° 26’ 32” | 24.71 | Leo |
| Jul 17 2025 | 10h 02m 47s | +16° 10’ 43” | 24.73 | Leo |
| Jul 18 2025 | 10h 05m 41s | +15° 54’ 53” | 24.75 | Leo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 289P/Blanpain: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet 289P/Blanpain?: Key information on where to find comet 289P/Blanpain in the sky.
- Distance of comet 289P/Blanpain from Earth: Find out how far comet 289P/Blanpain is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet 289P/Blanpain?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet 289P/Blanpain from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet 289P/Blanpain's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet 289P/Blanpain's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet 289P/Blanpain's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet 289P/Blanpain orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet 289P/Blanpain with respect to the major Solar System objects.