Comet 294P/LINEAR
Comet 294P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Triangulum, at a distance of 728,802,219 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 294P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 294P/LINEAR is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 39° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 294P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 294P/LINEAR 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 294P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 294P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 294P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 294P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 294P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 728,802,219 kilometers, equivalent to 4.871742 Astronomical Units. Light takes 40 minutes and 31.0225 seconds to travel from Comet 294P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 294P/LINEAR 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 294P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 294P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 294P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Wed Mar 4 2048 at a distance of 0.344815 Astronomical Units, or 51,583,573 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 294P/LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 294P/LINEAR, 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 294P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 294P/LINEAR at epoch 13 September 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455453.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.59860596 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.54176445° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.28220736 AU 191,815,492 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.10656389 AU 763,931,087 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.19438563 AU 477,873,289 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.7094 years 2,085.3523 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2008-Jun-16 14:43:49 2,454,634.1138 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2014-Mar-02 23:11 2,456,719.4661 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 234.16864652874° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 314.33829985946° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 141.45285574588° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17263270°/day |
Visualization of Comet 294P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 294P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 294P/LINEAR 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 294P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 294P/LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 294P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 294P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 30 | 02h 23m 49s | +29° 11’ 53” | 24.03 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 01 | 02h 25m 00s | +29° 16’ 50” | 24.02 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 02 | 02h 26m 12s | +29° 21’ 47” | 24.02 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 03 | 02h 27m 24s | +29° 26’ 47” | 24.02 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 04 | 02h 28m 36s | +29° 31’ 46” | 24.01 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 05 | 02h 29m 48s | +29° 36’ 47” | 24.01 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 06 | 02h 31m 00s | +29° 41’ 48” | 24.00 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 07 | 02h 32m 12s | +29° 46’ 51” | 24.00 | Triangulum |
| 2024 May 08 | 02h 33m 24s | +29° 51’ 55” | 24.00 | Aries |
| 2024 May 09 | 02h 34m 36s | +29° 56’ 58” | 23.99 | Aries |
| 2024 May 10 | 02h 35m 49s | +30° 02’ 03” | 23.99 | Aries |
| 2024 May 11 | 02h 37m 03s | +30° 07’ 09” | 23.98 | Aries |
| 2024 May 12 | 02h 38m 16s | +30° 12’ 15” | 23.98 | Aries |
| 2024 May 13 | 02h 39m 29s | +30° 17’ 21” | 23.97 | Aries |