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
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 behvior 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.
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 Europe/London timezone.
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 | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 05 | 08h 14m 44s | +30° 10’ 09” | 10.59 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 08h 16m 05s | +30° 34’ 18” | 10.59 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 08h 17m 22s | +30° 58’ 32” | 10.60 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 08h 18m 38s | +31° 22’ 54” | 10.60 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 08h 19m 50s | +31° 47’ 20” | 10.61 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 08h 21m 01s | +32° 11’ 49” | 10.62 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 08h 22m 08s | +32° 36’ 21” | 10.63 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 08h 23m 12s | +33° 00’ 56” | 10.63 | Cancer |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 08h 24m 15s | +33° 25’ 31” | 10.64 | Lynx |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 08h 25m 14s | +33° 50’ 04” | 10.65 | Lynx |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 08h 26m 11s | +34° 14’ 36” | 10.67 | Lynx |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 08h 27m 05s | +34° 39’ 06” | 10.68 | Lynx |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 08h 27m 56s | +35° 03’ 30” | 10.69 | Lynx |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 08h 28m 44s | +35° 27’ 51” | 10.71 | Lynx |
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 10 March 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457458.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.85931324 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.36368797° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.58566276 AU 237,211,773 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
20.95608562 AU 3,134,985,793 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
11.27087419 AU 1,686,098,783 km |
| Orbital period | period |
37.8400 years 13,820.8524 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Nov-10 20:13:08 2,458,433.3425 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2056-Sep-12 16:40 2,472,254.1949 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 359.61663393338° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 78.04350664098° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 334.60769603076° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.02604760°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Dec-17 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.76572552 AU 114,550,908 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.