Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma is currently in the constellation of Libra, at a distance of 1,840,385,716 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 38P/Stephan-Oterma from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 38P/Stephan-Oterma is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 38P/Stephan-Oterma is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma 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 38P/Stephan-Oterma is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma from Earth is currently 1,840,385,716 kilometers, equivalent to 12.302219 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 42 minutes and 18.8660 seconds to travel from Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma 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 38P/Stephan-Oterma from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma to Earth happens on Mon Dec 17 2018 at a distance of 0.765727 Astronomical Units, or 114,551,111 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma, 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 38P/Stephan-Oterma Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma at epoch 23 May 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458262.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.85928629 |
Orbit inclination | i | 18.35294652° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.58850505 AU 237,636,973 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
20.98932339 AU 3,139,958,093 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
11.28891422 AU 1,688,797,533 km |
Orbital period | period |
37.9303 years 13,854.0479 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Nov-10 23:41:46 2,458,433.4873 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2056-Oct-16 00:50 2,472,287.5353 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 359.58867655349° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 78.000364192787° |
Mean anomaly | M | 355.55686223202° |
Mean motion | n | 0.02598519°/day |
Visualization of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma 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 38P/Stephan-Oterma in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Mar 12 | 15h 44m 32s | -11° 08’ 12” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 13 | 15h 44m 27s | -11° 07’ 26” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 14 | 15h 44m 21s | -11° 06’ 39” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 15 | 15h 44m 16s | -11° 05’ 52” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 16 | 15h 44m 08s | -11° 05’ 03” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 17 | 15h 44m 03s | -11° 04’ 14” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 18 | 15h 43m 55s | -11° 03’ 24” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 19 | 15h 43m 48s | -11° 02’ 34” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 20 | 15h 43m 41s | -11° 01’ 42” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 21 | 15h 43m 32s | -11° 00’ 51” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 22 | 15h 43m 24s | -10° 59’ 58” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 23 | 15h 43m 15s | -10° 59’ 05” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 24 | 15h 43m 06s | -10° 58’ 12” | 27.49 | Libra |
2024 Mar 25 | 15h 42m 57s | -10° 57’ 18” | 27.49 | Libra |