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 Dec 05 | 02h 47m 40s | -13° 00’ 21” | 10.19 | Eridanus |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 02h 51m 52s | -10° 54’ 20” | 10.10 | Eridanus |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 02h 56m 25s | -08° 37’ 14” | 10.01 | Eridanus |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 03h 01m 18s | -06° 08’ 26” | 9.93 | Eridanus |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 03h 06m 33s | -03° 27’ 33” | 9.85 | Eridanus |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 03h 12m 14s | -00° 34’ 28” | 9.77 | Cetus |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 03h 18m 19s | +02° 30’ 35” | 9.71 | Cetus |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 03h 24m 51s | +05° 47’ 02” | 9.65 | Taurus |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 03h 31m 53s | +09° 13’ 38” | 9.60 | Taurus |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 03h 39m 24s | +12° 48’ 39” | 9.56 | Taurus |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 03h 47m 27s | +16° 29’ 45” | 9.54 | Taurus |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 03h 56m 03s | +20° 14’ 03” | 9.53 | Taurus |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 04h 05m 12s | +23° 58’ 23” | 9.53 | Taurus |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 04h 14m 57s | +27° 39’ 24” | 9.55 | Taurus |
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 12 December 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458465.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.65876665 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.74779039° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.05535122 AU 157,878,295 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.13015919 AU 767,460,893 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.09275520 AU 462,669,594 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4400 years 1,986.6289 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Dec-12 22:21:23 2,458,465.4315 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 356.3426966606° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 82.156692379202° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.012409678022722° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18121150°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Dec-17 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.07750278 AU 11,594,251 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.