Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell
Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell 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 52P/Harrington-Abell from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 52P/Harrington-Abell is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 52P/Harrington-Abell 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 52P/Harrington-Abell from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell 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 52P/Harrington-Abell from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell to Earth happens on Thu Jan 29 2037 at a distance of 0.878538 Astronomical Units, or 131,427,355 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 52P/Harrington-Abell, 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 52P/Harrington-Abell at epoch 21 June 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457561.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.54006288 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.23173068° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.77497832 AU 265,532,977 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.94337371 AU 889,116,054 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.85917601 AU 577,324,516 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.5814 years 2,769.1106 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Mar-07 08:46:57 2,456,723.8659 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Oct-05 11:26 2,459,492.9766 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 139.65914883566° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 336.83612096879° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 108.89715151903° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.13000564°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Nov 30 | 18h 50m 02s | -29° 58’ 44” | 28.24 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 01 | 18h 50m 49s | -29° 57’ 01” | 28.25 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 02 | 18h 51m 36s | -29° 55’ 17” | 28.25 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 03 | 18h 52m 24s | -29° 53’ 34” | 28.26 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 04 | 18h 53m 11s | -29° 51’ 50” | 28.26 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 05 | 18h 53m 59s | -29° 50’ 06” | 28.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 06 | 18h 54m 47s | -29° 48’ 22” | 28.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 07 | 18h 55m 35s | -29° 46’ 37” | 28.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 08 | 18h 56m 23s | -29° 44’ 52” | 28.28 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 09 | 18h 57m 12s | -29° 43’ 08” | 28.28 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 10 | 18h 58m 00s | -29° 41’ 23” | 28.29 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 11 | 18h 58m 48s | -29° 39’ 37” | 28.29 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 12 | 18h 59m 37s | -29° 37’ 51” | 28.29 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Dec 13 | 19h 00m 26s | -29° 36’ 06” | 28.30 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell from Earth?)
- When does Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 52P/Harrington-Abell with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.