Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan
Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan is in the constellation of
Pisces,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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 60P/Tsuchinshan from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 60P/Tsuchinshan is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 16.33° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 60P/Tsuchinshan 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 Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan 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 60P/Tsuchinshan 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 Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan to Earth happens on Sun Jan 21 2052 at a distance of 0.661771 Astronomical Units, or 98,999,555 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 60P/Tsuchinshan, 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 60P/Tsuchinshan at epoch 16 July 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457220.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53853669 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.60894919° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.61956677 AU 242,283,740 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.39969885 AU 807,783,452 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.50963281 AU 525,033,596 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5751 years 2,401.5462 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-May-13 21:20:31 2,456,061.3893 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Dec-10 10:27 2,458,462.9355 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 216.49366907536° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 267.66129277937° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 173.75466919847° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14990342°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan 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 06 | 01h 33m 11s | +14° 43’ 38” | 23.41 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 07 | 01h 32m 52s | +14° 42’ 59” | 23.38 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 08 | 01h 32m 32s | +14° 42’ 12” | 23.34 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 09 | 01h 32m 10s | +14° 41’ 18” | 23.31 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 10 | 01h 31m 48s | +14° 40’ 14” | 23.28 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 11 | 01h 31m 24s | +14° 39’ 02” | 23.25 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 12 | 01h 30m 58s | +14° 37’ 42” | 23.21 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 13 | 01h 30m 32s | +14° 36’ 12” | 23.18 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 14 | 01h 30m 04s | +14° 34’ 34” | 23.15 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 15 | 01h 29m 35s | +14° 32’ 48” | 23.12 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 16 | 01h 29m 05s | +14° 30’ 53” | 23.08 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 17 | 01h 28m 33s | +14° 28’ 49” | 23.05 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 18 | 01h 28m 01s | +14° 26’ 37” | 23.02 | Pisces |
| 2024 Sep 19 | 01h 27m 27s | +14° 24’ 15” | 22.99 | Pisces |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan from Earth?)
- When does Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.