Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Comet 46P/Wirtanen is in the constellation of
Libra,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 46P/Wirtanen is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 46P/Wirtanen?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 46P/Wirtanen is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South direction at an altitude of 31.60° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 46P/Wirtanen 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 46P/Wirtanen from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen to Earth happens on Mon Dec 17 2018 at a distance of 0.077508 Astronomical Units, or 11,595,104 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 46P/Wirtanen, 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 46P/Wirtanen at epoch 12 December 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458465.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.65875501 |
Orbit inclination | i | 11.74754876° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.05535538 AU 157,878,919 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.12996837 AU 767,432,346 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.09266187 AU 462,655,632 km |
Orbital period | period |
5.4388 years 1,986.5390 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Dec-12 22:20:53 2,458,465.4312 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2024-May-21 11:16 2,460,451.9701 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 356.34107185707° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 82.157633924941° |
Mean anomaly | M | 0.012473510012316° |
Mean motion | n | 0.18121970°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 Feb 01 | 15h 07m 21s | -06° 57’ 05” | 21.01 | Libra |
2025 Feb 02 | 15h 07m 53s | -06° 57’ 07” | 21.01 | Libra |
2025 Feb 03 | 15h 08m 24s | -06° 57’ 03” | 21.01 | Libra |
2025 Feb 04 | 15h 08m 53s | -06° 56’ 52” | 21.01 | Libra |
2025 Feb 05 | 15h 09m 21s | -06° 56’ 34” | 21.01 | Libra |
2025 Feb 06 | 15h 09m 48s | -06° 56’ 12” | 21.01 | Libra |
2025 Feb 07 | 15h 10m 14s | -06° 55’ 42” | 21.00 | Libra |
2025 Feb 08 | 15h 10m 38s | -06° 55’ 06” | 21.00 | Libra |
2025 Feb 09 | 15h 11m 02s | -06° 54’ 25” | 21.00 | Libra |
2025 Feb 10 | 15h 11m 24s | -06° 53’ 37” | 21.00 | Libra |
2025 Feb 11 | 15h 11m 44s | -06° 52’ 43” | 21.00 | Libra |
2025 Feb 12 | 15h 12m 03s | -06° 51’ 43” | 21.00 | Libra |
2025 Feb 13 | 15h 12m 21s | -06° 50’ 37” | 20.99 | Libra |
2025 Feb 14 | 15h 12m 38s | -06° 49’ 25” | 20.99 | Libra |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 46P/Wirtanen?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 46P/Wirtanen from Earth?)
- When does Comet 46P/Wirtanen rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 46P/Wirtanen?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 46P/Wirtanen orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 46P/Wirtanen with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 46P/Wirtanen for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 46P/Wirtanen with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.