Comet 378P/McNaught
Comet 378P/McNaught is in the constellation of
Orion,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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 378P/McNaught from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 378P/McNaught is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 378P/McNaught is visible only through long exposure photography.
- 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 378P/McNaught is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 378P/McNaught?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 378P/McNaught in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 378P/McNaught from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 378P/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 378P/McNaught from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 378P/McNaught to Earth happens on Fri Jul 11 2036 at a distance of 2.340041 Astronomical Units, or 350,065,212 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 378P/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 378P/McNaught at epoch 08 November 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458431.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.46695798 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.10950608° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.37937081 AU 505,546,679 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
9.30019544 AU 1,391,289,438 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.33978313 AU 948,418,059 km |
| Orbital period | period |
15.9632 years 5,830.5568 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-Oct-22 15:10:23 2,459,145.1322 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2036-Oct-09 04:32 2,464,975.6890 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 194.31681160431° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 94.519421559834° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 315.93772468774° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06174367°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 378P/McNaught in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 378P/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Oct 03 | 04h 53m 51s | +12° 46’ 16” | 20.48 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 04 | 04h 53m 44s | +12° 45’ 35” | 20.48 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 05 | 04h 53m 36s | +12° 44’ 55” | 20.47 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 06 | 04h 53m 28s | +12° 44’ 14” | 20.47 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 07 | 04h 53m 19s | +12° 43’ 33” | 20.47 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 08 | 04h 53m 10s | +12° 42’ 52” | 20.46 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 09 | 04h 53m 01s | +12° 42’ 10” | 20.46 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 10 | 04h 52m 50s | +12° 41’ 27” | 20.46 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 11 | 04h 52m 40s | +12° 40’ 46” | 20.46 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 12 | 04h 52m 28s | +12° 40’ 03” | 20.45 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 13 | 04h 52m 17s | +12° 39’ 20” | 20.45 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 14 | 04h 52m 04s | +12° 38’ 39” | 20.45 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 15 | 04h 51m 51s | +12° 37’ 56” | 20.44 | Orion |
| 2024 Oct 16 | 04h 51m 38s | +12° 37’ 14” | 20.44 | Orion |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 378P/McNaught?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 378P/McNaught from Earth?)
- When does Comet 378P/McNaught rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 378P/McNaught?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 378P/McNaught orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 378P/McNaught with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 378P/McNaught for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 378P/McNaught in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 378P/McNaught with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.