Comet 51P/Harrington
Comet 51P/Harrington 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 51P/Harrington is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 51P/Harrington?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 51P/Harrington 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 51P/Harrington from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 51P/Harrington is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 55.36° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 51P/Harrington is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 51P/Harrington from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 51P/Harrington 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 51P/Harrington 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 51P/Harrington to Earth happens on Mon Sep 5 2022 at a distance of 0.719952 Astronomical Units, or 107,703,271 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 51P/Harrington, 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.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 51P/Harrington 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 May 20 | 09h 57m 13s | +17° 59’ 40” | 26.39 | Leo |
| 2025 May 21 | 09h 57m 28s | +17° 57’ 28” | 26.40 | Leo |
| 2025 May 22 | 09h 57m 44s | +17° 55’ 15” | 26.41 | Leo |
| 2025 May 23 | 09h 58m 00s | +17° 52’ 58” | 26.41 | Leo |
| 2025 May 24 | 09h 58m 17s | +17° 50’ 38” | 26.42 | Leo |
| 2025 May 25 | 09h 58m 34s | +17° 48’ 16” | 26.43 | Leo |
| 2025 May 26 | 09h 58m 52s | +17° 45’ 52” | 26.44 | Leo |
| 2025 May 27 | 09h 59m 11s | +17° 43’ 24” | 26.44 | Leo |
| 2025 May 28 | 09h 59m 30s | +17° 40’ 54” | 26.45 | Leo |
| 2025 May 29 | 09h 59m 50s | +17° 38’ 21” | 26.46 | Leo |
| 2025 May 30 | 10h 00m 10s | +17° 35’ 45” | 26.47 | Leo |
| 2025 May 31 | 10h 00m 31s | +17° 33’ 07” | 26.47 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 10h 00m 53s | +17° 30’ 27” | 26.48 | Leo |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 10h 01m 15s | +17° 27’ 43” | 26.49 | Leo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 51P/Harrington: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 51P/Harrington?: Key information on locating Comet 51P/Harrington in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 51P/Harrington is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 51P/Harrington?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 51P/Harrington's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 51P/Harrington's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 51P/Harrington's computed ephemeris.