Comet 378P/McNaught
Comet 378P/McNaught is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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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.
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
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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 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 378P/McNaught to Earth happens on Fri Jul 11 2036 at a distance of 2.340096 Astronomical Units, or 350,073,436 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 April 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458948.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.46856842 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.10948556° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.38036467 AU 505,695,358 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
9.34136591 AU 1,397,448,452 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.36086529 AU 951,571,905 km |
| Orbital period | period |
16.0429 years 5,859.6641 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-Oct-21 14:46:25 2,459,144.1156 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2036-Nov-06 06:42 2,465,003.7797 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 194.17868392222° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 94.51542868286° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 347.98197242838° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06143697°/day |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 20 | 04h 49m 17s | +16° 31’ 18” | 21.04 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 21 | 04h 49m 50s | +16° 32’ 59” | 21.05 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 22 | 04h 50m 23s | +16° 34’ 37” | 21.05 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 23 | 04h 50m 56s | +16° 36’ 16” | 21.05 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 24 | 04h 51m 29s | +16° 37’ 54” | 21.05 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 25 | 04h 52m 02s | +16° 39’ 31” | 21.05 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 26 | 04h 52m 35s | +16° 41’ 07” | 21.05 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 27 | 04h 53m 09s | +16° 42’ 42” | 21.06 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 28 | 04h 53m 42s | +16° 44’ 16” | 21.06 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 29 | 04h 54m 16s | +16° 45’ 49” | 21.06 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 30 | 04h 54m 49s | +16° 47’ 21” | 21.06 | Taurus |
| 2025 May 31 | 04h 55m 22s | +16° 48’ 52” | 21.06 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 04h 55m 56s | +16° 50’ 22” | 21.06 | Taurus |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 04h 56m 29s | +16° 51’ 50” | 21.06 | Taurus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 378P/McNaught: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 378P/McNaught?: Key information on locating Comet 378P/McNaught in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 378P/McNaught is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 378P/McNaught?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 378P/McNaught's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 378P/McNaught's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 378P/McNaught's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 378P/McNaught orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 378P/McNaught with respect to the major Solar System objects.