Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the local timezone Europe/London.
Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma Orbit Diagram
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 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 | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 May 19 | 16.81 | 01h 11m 06s | -08° 24’ 59” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 20 | 16.78 | 01h 12m 47s | -08° 15’ 25” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 21 | 16.75 | 01h 14m 30s | -08° 05’ 53” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 22 | 16.71 | 01h 16m 14s | -07° 56’ 21” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 23 | 16.68 | 01h 17m 57s | -07° 46’ 49” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 24 | 16.65 | 01h 19m 41s | -07° 37’ 17” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 25 | 16.62 | 01h 21m 25s | -07° 27’ 46” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 26 | 16.58 | 01h 23m 09s | -07° 18’ 15” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 27 | 16.55 | 01h 24m 55s | -07° 08’ 44” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 28 | 16.52 | 01h 26m 39s | -06° 59’ 13” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 29 | 16.48 | 01h 28m 24s | -06° 49’ 44” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 30 | 16.45 | 01h 30m 11s | -06° 40’ 14” | Cetus |
| 2018 May 31 | 16.42 | 01h 31m 56s | -06° 30’ 45” | Cetus |
| 2018 Jun 01 | 16.38 | 01h 33m 42s | -06° 21’ 16” | Cetus |
Distance of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 38P/Stephan-Oterma is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma
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 16 February 1985 00:00 UTC (JD: 2446113.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.85935659 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.30133220° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.58974053 AU 237,821,798 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
21.01694250 AU 3,144,089,853 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
11.30334151 AU 1,690,955,826 km |
| Orbital period | period |
38.0000 years 13,880.6148 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1980-Dec-03 00:22:16 2,444,576.5155 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Dec-04 15:07 2,458,457.1302 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 359.46369385338° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 78.175708544233° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 39.862386689354° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.02593545°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Dec-17 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.76545919 AU 114,511,066 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.