Comet 496P/Hill
Comet 496P/Hill is in the constellation of
Leo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 496P/Hill is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 496P/Hill?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 496P/Hill in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted 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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 496P/Hill from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 496P/Hill is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the East-North-East direction at an altitude of 17.69° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 496P/Hill is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 496P/Hill from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 496P/Hill from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 496P/Hill from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 496P/Hill to Earth happens on Thu Dec 6 2068 at a distance of 0.927059 Astronomical Units, or 138,686,054 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 496P/Hill, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 496P/Hill at epoch 15 November 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459169.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.73321793 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 14.86604322° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.62060311 AU 242,438,775 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
10.52866229 AU 1,575,065,463 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.07463270 AU 908,752,119 km |
| Orbital period | period |
14.9723 years 5,468.6290 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2025-Mar-12 16:33:03 2,460,747.1896 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2040-Mar-02 07:38 2,466,215.8186 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 41.934457354985° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 64.094446808482° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 256.14064855333° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06583003°/day |
View Comet 496P/Hill in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 496P/Hill computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Jun 14 | 09h 23m 20s | +27° 52’ 38” | 19.09 | Cancer |
| 2025 Jun 15 | 09h 25m 59s | +27° 38’ 45” | 19.13 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 16 | 09h 28m 38s | +27° 24’ 45” | 19.16 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 17 | 09h 31m 15s | +27° 10’ 40” | 19.20 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 18 | 09h 33m 50s | +26° 56’ 32” | 19.24 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 19 | 09h 36m 25s | +26° 42’ 17” | 19.28 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 20 | 09h 39m 00s | +26° 28’ 00” | 19.32 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 21 | 09h 41m 33s | +26° 13’ 38” | 19.36 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 22 | 09h 44m 04s | +25° 59’ 12” | 19.40 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 23 | 09h 46m 35s | +25° 44’ 41” | 19.44 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 24 | 09h 49m 05s | +25° 30’ 08” | 19.48 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 25 | 09h 51m 34s | +25° 15’ 32” | 19.52 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 26 | 09h 54m 02s | +25° 00’ 53” | 19.56 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 27 | 09h 56m 29s | +24° 46’ 11” | 19.60 | Leo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 496P/Hill: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 496P/Hill?: Key information on where to find Comet 496P/Hill in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 496P/Hill is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 496P/Hill?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of Comet 496P/Hill from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 496P/Hill's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 496P/Hill's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about Comet 496P/Hill orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 496P/Hill with respect to the major Solar System objects.