Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham
Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham is in the constellation of
Scorpius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham 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 56P/Slaughter-Burnham from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 56P/Slaughter-Burnham is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 2.08° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 56P/Slaughter-Burnham is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham 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 56P/Slaughter-Burnham 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 56P/Slaughter-Burnham to Earth happens on Tue Oct 25 2061 at a distance of 1.472337 Astronomical Units, or 220,258,529 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 56P/Slaughter-Burnham, 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 56P/Slaughter-Burnham at epoch 11 August 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456516.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.50729701 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 8.14719834° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.50587086 AU 374,872,945 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
7.66606199 AU 1,146,826,553 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
5.08596642 AU 760,849,749 km |
| Orbital period | period |
11.4701 years 4,189.4659 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Jul-18 01:58:14 2,457,587.5821 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2028-Jan-06 13:09 2,461,777.0480 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 44.217463287662° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 346.03761392011° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 267.96211964631° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.08592981°/day |
View Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham 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 17 | 17h 04m 31s | -32° 34’ 33” | 24.17 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 18 | 17h 03m 58s | -32° 34’ 39” | 24.17 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 19 | 17h 03m 25s | -32° 34’ 43” | 24.16 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 20 | 17h 02m 51s | -32° 34’ 44” | 24.15 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 21 | 17h 02m 17s | -32° 34’ 41” | 24.14 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 22 | 17h 01m 41s | -32° 34’ 36” | 24.14 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 23 | 17h 01m 06s | -32° 34’ 28” | 24.13 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 24 | 17h 00m 31s | -32° 34’ 17” | 24.12 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 25 | 16h 59m 56s | -32° 34’ 03” | 24.12 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 26 | 16h 59m 20s | -32° 33’ 46” | 24.11 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 27 | 16h 58m 44s | -32° 33’ 26” | 24.10 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 28 | 16h 58m 07s | -32° 33’ 04” | 24.10 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 29 | 16h 57m 31s | -32° 32’ 38” | 24.09 | Scorpius |
| 2025 May 30 | 16h 56m 54s | -32° 32’ 09” | 24.09 | Scorpius |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham?: Key information on locating Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 56P/Slaughter-Burnham with respect to the major Solar System objects.