Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux is currently in the constellation of Serpens. The current Right Ascension of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux is 17h 44m 31s and the Declination is -12° 19’ 29” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux is 22.37 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 49P/Arend-Rigaux is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the South-East direction at an altitude of 16° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 49P/Arend-Rigaux is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 49P/Arend-Rigaux rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher 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.
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux from Earth is currently 916,812,224 kilometers, equivalent to 6.128511 Astronomical Units. Light takes 50 minutes and 58.1564 seconds to travel from Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux and arrive to us.
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 of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux to Earth happens on Sat Dec 27 2031 at a distance of 0.559458 Astronomical Units, or 83,693,671 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux is 22.37.
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 behavior 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.
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.
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux at epoch 16 August 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455790.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.60041858 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.04985119° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.42383124 AU 213,002,123 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.70278266 AU 853,124,145 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.56330695 AU 533,063,134 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.7300 years 2,456.8480 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2011-Oct-19 01:49:15 2,455,853.5759 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Jul-10 22:10 2,458,310.4238 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 332.78696036009° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 118.87843763658° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 350.75754135727° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14652921°/day |
Visualization of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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 49P/Arend-Rigaux in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Jan 21 | 17h 39m 33s | -12° 20’ 32” | 22.39 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 22 | 17h 40m 14s | -12° 20’ 30” | 22.39 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 23 | 17h 40m 57s | -12° 20’ 26” | 22.39 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 24 | 17h 41m 39s | -12° 20’ 20” | 22.38 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 25 | 17h 42m 20s | -12° 20’ 11” | 22.38 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 26 | 17h 43m 00s | -12° 19’ 59” | 22.38 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 27 | 17h 43m 41s | -12° 19’ 48” | 22.38 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 28 | 17h 44m 21s | -12° 19’ 32” | 22.37 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 29 | 17h 45m 01s | -12° 19’ 15” | 22.37 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 30 | 17h 45m 41s | -12° 18’ 56” | 22.37 | Serpens |
| 2021 Jan 31 | 17h 46m 19s | -12° 18’ 36” | 22.37 | Serpens |
| 2021 Feb 01 | 17h 46m 59s | -12° 18’ 12” | 22.36 | Serpens |
| 2021 Feb 02 | 17h 47m 36s | -12° 17’ 48” | 22.36 | Serpens |
| 2021 Feb 03 | 17h 48m 15s | -12° 17’ 21” | 22.36 | Serpens |