Comet 48P/Johnson
Comet 48P/Johnson Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 48P/Johnson rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 48P/Johnson Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 48P/Johnson with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 48P/Johnson Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 48P/Johnson computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 48P/Johnson in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Sep 18 | 22h 29m 08s | -28° 40’ 55” | 13.31 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 19 | 22h 28m 55s | -28° 42’ 56” | 13.32 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 20 | 22h 28m 45s | -28° 44’ 36” | 13.34 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 21 | 22h 28m 35s | -28° 45’ 55” | 13.35 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 22 | 22h 28m 26s | -28° 46’ 50” | 13.37 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 23 | 22h 28m 18s | -28° 47’ 26” | 13.39 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 24 | 22h 28m 13s | -28° 47’ 39” | 13.40 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 25 | 22h 28m 09s | -28° 47’ 34” | 13.42 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 26 | 22h 28m 06s | -28° 47’ 06” | 13.44 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 27 | 22h 28m 05s | -28° 46’ 18” | 13.46 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 28 | 22h 28m 05s | -28° 45’ 11” | 13.48 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 29 | 22h 28m 08s | -28° 43’ 42” | 13.49 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Sep 30 | 22h 28m 10s | -28° 41’ 56” | 13.51 | Pisces Austrinus |
| 2018 Oct 01 | 22h 28m 15s | -28° 39’ 50” | 13.53 | Pisces Austrinus |
Distance of Comet 48P/Johnson from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 48P/Johnson
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 48P/Johnson, 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 48P/Johnson Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 48P/Johnson at epoch 28 February 2006 00:00 UTC (JD: 2453795.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.36668135 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 13.65891221° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.30932885 AU 345,470,679 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.98345760 AU 745,514,648 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.64639322 AU 545,492,663 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9600 years 2,543.2771 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2004-Oct-11 21:35:58 2,453,290.4000 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2011-Sep-29 04:14 2,455,833.6771 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 207.66814778889° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.31602084479° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 71.496734441998° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14154966°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Aug-20 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.01420310 AU 151,722,625 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.