5D/Brorsen (Lost)
5D/Brorsen (Lost) is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Comet 5D/Brorsen, also known as Comet Brorsen, was a periodic comet belonging to the Jupiter family of comets, which is now considered a lost comet. It was first discovered by the Danish astronomer Theodor Brorsen on February 26, 1846. Based on the collected observations, the comet had an orbital period of 5.46 years and traveled around the Sun in an eccentric orbit with the closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) at a distance of about 0.58 astronomical units (AU), and the farthest distance (aphelion) at around 5.6 AU. The latest successful observations of Comet 5D/Brorsen were conducted during the 1879 apparition, while it was not possible to find the comet again during any of the subsequent apparitions.
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 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 5D/Brorsen (Lost) is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 5D/Brorsen (Lost) 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where 5D/Brorsen (Lost) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is 5D/Brorsen (Lost)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find 5D/Brorsen (Lost) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) 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 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) to Earth happens on Tue Oct 26 2083 at a distance of 0.259836 Astronomical Units, or 38,870,982 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 5D/Brorsen (Lost), 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 5D/Brorsen (Lost) at epoch 01 January 1970 00:00 UTC (JD: 2407440.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.80979600 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 29.38210000° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.58984700 AU 88,239,855 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.61240952 AU 839,604,516 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.10112826 AU 463,922,186 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4612 years 1,994.7020 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1879-Mar-31 00:49:06 2,407,439.5341 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 1884-Sep-14 17:39 2,409,434.2361 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 14.9468° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 102.9676° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.17432378482129° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18047809°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View 5D/Brorsen (Lost) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) 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 Sep 30 | 17h 58m 33s | -25° 37’ 28” | 18.78 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 01 | 17h 58m 52s | -25° 37’ 47” | 18.79 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 02 | 17h 59m 13s | -25° 38’ 07” | 18.80 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 03 | 17h 59m 34s | -25° 38’ 25” | 18.82 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 04 | 17h 59m 57s | -25° 38’ 44” | 18.83 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 05 | 18h 00m 20s | -25° 39’ 02” | 18.84 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 06 | 18h 00m 43s | -25° 39’ 20” | 18.85 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 07 | 18h 01m 08s | -25° 39’ 38” | 18.86 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 08 | 18h 01m 32s | -25° 39’ 56” | 18.87 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 09 | 18h 01m 58s | -25° 40’ 13” | 18.88 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 10 | 18h 02m 24s | -25° 40’ 29” | 18.90 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 11 | 18h 02m 50s | -25° 40’ 46” | 18.91 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 12 | 18h 03m 18s | -25° 41’ 02” | 18.92 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Oct 13 | 18h 03m 46s | -25° 41’ 18” | 18.93 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is 5D/Brorsen (Lost)?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth?)
- When does 5D/Brorsen (Lost) rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is 5D/Brorsen (Lost)?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about 5D/Brorsen (Lost) orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate 5D/Brorsen (Lost) in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate 5D/Brorsen (Lost) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.