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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Mar 18 | 02h 03m 59s | +03° 18’ 47” | 17.30 | Pisces |
| 2019 Mar 19 | 02h 05m 38s | +03° 29’ 47” | 17.32 | Pisces |
| 2019 Mar 20 | 02h 07m 17s | +03° 40’ 44” | 17.33 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 21 | 02h 08m 56s | +03° 51’ 35” | 17.35 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 22 | 02h 10m 35s | +04° 02’ 24” | 17.37 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 23 | 02h 12m 14s | +04° 13’ 08” | 17.39 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 24 | 02h 13m 51s | +04° 23’ 48” | 17.40 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 25 | 02h 15m 30s | +04° 34’ 23” | 17.42 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 26 | 02h 17m 09s | +04° 44’ 56” | 17.44 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 27 | 02h 18m 48s | +04° 55’ 23” | 17.46 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 28 | 02h 20m 27s | +05° 05’ 48” | 17.47 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 29 | 02h 22m 06s | +05° 16’ 06” | 17.49 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 30 | 02h 23m 45s | +05° 26’ 22” | 17.51 | Cetus |
| 2019 Mar 31 | 02h 25m 23s | +05° 36’ 33” | 17.52 | Cetus |
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 29 August 2008 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454708.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.36748360 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 13.66358542° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.30523089 AU 344,857,633 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.98384780 AU 745,573,020 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.64453935 AU 545,215,327 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9600 years 2,541.3378 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2011-Sep-28 15:57:36 2,455,833.1650 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Sep-13 00:03 2,458,374.5028 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 207.68930513106° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.30982342633° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 200.68257052177° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14165767°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2084-Aug-30 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.94903483 AU 141,973,590 km |
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2100-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.