Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux is in the constellation of
Cetus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 49P/Arend-Rigaux is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 30.27° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux to Earth happens on Sat Dec 27 2031 at a distance of 0.559464 Astronomical Units, or 83,694,594 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux, 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux at epoch 26 November 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456623.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.60042880 |
Orbit inclination | i | 19.05343748° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.42478121 AU 213,144,236 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.70676985 AU 853,720,620 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.56577553 AU 533,432,428 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.7335 years 2,459.4015 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2011-Oct-19 05:39:13 2,455,853.7356 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2018-Jul-13 15:17 2,458,313.1370 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 332.88837062983° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 118.83983707047° |
Mean anomaly | M | 112.67586831862° |
Mean motion | n | 0.14637708°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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 Jan 30 | 01h 08m 49s | -10° 19’ 30” | 16.91 | Cetus |
2025 Jan 31 | 01h 10m 52s | -09° 58’ 49” | 16.91 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 01 | 01h 12m 57s | -09° 38’ 02” | 16.90 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 02 | 01h 15m 02s | -09° 17’ 10” | 16.90 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 03 | 01h 17m 09s | -08° 56’ 10” | 16.89 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 04 | 01h 19m 16s | -08° 35’ 06” | 16.89 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 05 | 01h 21m 25s | -08° 13’ 56” | 16.88 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 06 | 01h 23m 34s | -07° 52’ 41” | 16.88 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 07 | 01h 25m 45s | -07° 31’ 21” | 16.88 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 08 | 01h 27m 56s | -07° 09’ 56” | 16.87 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 09 | 01h 30m 09s | -06° 48’ 25” | 16.87 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 10 | 01h 32m 22s | -06° 26’ 50” | 16.86 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 11 | 01h 34m 37s | -06° 05’ 11” | 16.86 | Cetus |
2025 Feb 12 | 01h 36m 52s | -05° 43’ 27” | 16.85 | Cetus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux from Earth?)
- When does Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.