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 Nov 08 | 22h 50m 30s | -24° 14’ 39” | 14.39 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 09 | 22h 51m 32s | -24° 04’ 08” | 14.42 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 10 | 22h 52m 33s | -23° 53’ 26” | 14.44 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 11 | 22h 53m 36s | -23° 42’ 39” | 14.47 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 12 | 22h 54m 39s | -23° 31’ 45” | 14.49 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 13 | 22h 55m 45s | -23° 20’ 43” | 14.52 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 14 | 22h 56m 51s | -23° 09’ 34” | 14.54 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 15 | 22h 57m 57s | -22° 58’ 19” | 14.56 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 16 | 22h 59m 04s | -22° 46’ 58” | 14.59 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 17 | 23h 00m 14s | -22° 35’ 30” | 14.61 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 18 | 23h 01m 23s | -22° 23’ 57” | 14.64 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 19 | 23h 02m 33s | -22° 12’ 17” | 14.66 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 20 | 23h 03m 43s | -22° 00’ 33” | 14.69 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 21 | 23h 04m 55s | -21° 48’ 42” | 14.71 | Aquarius |
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 23 May 2008 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454610.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.36738564 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 13.66397138° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.30578700 AU 344,940,826 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.98392101 AU 745,583,972 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.64485400 AU 545,262,399 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9600 years 2,541.6669 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2011-Sep-28 15:25:51 2,455,833.1430 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Sep-13 07:26 2,458,374.8099 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 207.67451540608° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.31101364037° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 186.82566853478° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14163933°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Aug-20 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.01420034 AU 151,722,211 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.