Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 46P/Wirtanen rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 46P/Wirtanen with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 46P/Wirtanen computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 46P/Wirtanen in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Oct 09 | 01h 56m 26s | -28° 34’ 10” | 14.29 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 10 | 01h 56m 39s | -28° 51’ 03” | 14.22 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 11 | 01h 56m 53s | -29° 07’ 41” | 14.16 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 12 | 01h 57m 06s | -29° 24’ 02” | 14.09 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 13 | 01h 57m 18s | -29° 40’ 05” | 14.02 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 14 | 01h 57m 29s | -29° 55’ 45” | 13.95 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 15 | 01h 57m 38s | -30° 11’ 03” | 13.89 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 16 | 01h 57m 48s | -30° 25’ 57” | 13.82 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 17 | 01h 57m 56s | -30° 40’ 23” | 13.75 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 18 | 01h 58m 05s | -30° 54’ 21” | 13.68 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 19 | 01h 58m 13s | -31° 07’ 50” | 13.62 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 20 | 01h 58m 19s | -31° 20’ 45” | 13.55 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 21 | 01h 58m 27s | -31° 33’ 07” | 13.48 | Fornax |
| 2018 Oct 22 | 01h 58m 33s | -31° 44’ 53” | 13.41 | Fornax |
Distance of Comet 46P/Wirtanen from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 46P/Wirtanen
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.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 46P/Wirtanen at epoch 09 August 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458340.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.65852598 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.74555779° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.05535851 AU 157,879,386 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.12583503 AU 766,814,007 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.09059677 AU 462,346,696 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4300 years 1,984.5495 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Dec-12 22:18:11 2,458,465.4293 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 356.33056247899° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 82.163714013567° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 337.33765443426° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18140137°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Dec-17 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.07749701 AU 11,593,388 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.