Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is currently in the constellation of Auriga. The current Right Ascension of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is 05h 50m 21s and the Declination is +29° 14’ 54” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is 16.42 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 48° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 rise and set times.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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.
Additional information about Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
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Also check out Where is Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 from Earth is currently 1,045,835,228 kilometers, equivalent to 6.990977 Astronomical Units. Light takes 58 minutes and 8.5308 seconds to travel from Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 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 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 to Earth happens on Fri Oct 13 2034 at a distance of 4.725861 Astronomical Units, or 706,978,737 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is 16.42.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, 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 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at epoch 03 September 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456174.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.04355371 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 9.37654245° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 5.73894178 AU 858,533,472 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.26161037 AU 936,723,580 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.00027608 AU 897,628,526 km |
| Orbital period | period |
14.6982 years 5,368.5287 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2019-Apr-12 10:03:26 2,458,585.9191 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2033-Dec-22 22:44 2,463,954.4477 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 50.658917140236° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 312.54199901° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 198.29631657754° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06705748°/day |
Visualization of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 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 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Jun 23 | 05h 43m 49s | +29° 15’ 03” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 24 | 05h 44m 43s | +29° 15’ 05” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 25 | 05h 45m 37s | +29° 15’ 03” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 26 | 05h 46m 30s | +29° 15’ 03” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 27 | 05h 47m 24s | +29° 15’ 02” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 28 | 05h 48m 16s | +29° 15’ 01” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 29 | 05h 49m 10s | +29° 14’ 58” | 16.43 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jun 30 | 05h 50m 03s | +29° 14’ 56” | 16.42 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jul 01 | 05h 50m 57s | +29° 14’ 53” | 16.42 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jul 02 | 05h 51m 51s | +29° 14’ 48” | 16.42 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jul 03 | 05h 52m 44s | +29° 14’ 44” | 16.42 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jul 04 | 05h 53m 36s | +29° 14’ 39” | 16.42 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jul 05 | 05h 54m 29s | +29° 14’ 35” | 16.42 | Auriga |
| 2022 Jul 06 | 05h 55m 22s | +29° 14’ 30” | 16.42 | Auriga |