Comet 496P/Hill
Comet 496P/Hill is in the constellation of
Auriga,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
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 direction at an altitude of 49.10° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 496P/Hill is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
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 |
Orbit Visualization
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 Apr 11 | 05h 59m 12s | +35° 55’ 39” | 16.93 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 06h 02m 40s | +35° 57’ 22” | 16.95 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 06h 06m 09s | +35° 58’ 43” | 16.98 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 06h 09m 38s | +35° 59’ 42” | 17.00 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 06h 13m 07s | +36° 00’ 20” | 17.03 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 06h 16m 36s | +36° 00’ 38” | 17.05 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 06h 20m 05s | +36° 00’ 33” | 17.08 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 06h 23m 34s | +36° 00’ 07” | 17.11 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 19 | 06h 27m 03s | +35° 59’ 21” | 17.13 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 20 | 06h 30m 32s | +35° 58’ 14” | 17.16 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 21 | 06h 34m 01s | +35° 56’ 45” | 17.19 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 22 | 06h 37m 30s | +35° 54’ 56” | 17.22 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 23 | 06h 40m 59s | +35° 52’ 46” | 17.24 | Auriga |
| 2025 Apr 24 | 06h 44m 26s | +35° 50’ 17” | 17.27 | Auriga |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 496P/Hill?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 496P/Hill from Earth?)
- When does Comet 496P/Hill rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 496P/Hill?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 496P/Hill orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 496P/Hill with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 496P/Hill for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 496P/Hill in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 496P/Hill with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.