Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is currently in the constellation of Pisces. The current Right Ascension of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is 23h 34m 24s and the Declination is -01° 30’ 25” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is 18.57 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 61P/Shajn-Schaldach rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach from Earth is currently 393,795,958 kilometers, equivalent to 2.632363 Astronomical Units. Light takes 21 minutes and 53.5619 seconds to travel from Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach 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 61P/Shajn-Schaldach from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach to Earth happens on Wed Oct 5 2050 at a distance of 1.032668 Astronomical Units, or 154,484,955 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach is 18.57.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach, 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.
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach at epoch 23 April 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456041.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.42669214 |
Orbit inclination | i | 6.00776495° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.11051938 AU 315,729,206 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.25208469 AU 785,700,688 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.68130204 AU 550,714,947 km |
Orbital period | period |
7.0633 years 2,579.8865 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Sep-30 23:15:55 2,457,296.4694 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2022-Oct-23 20:32 2,459,876.3559 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 221.82952597062° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 163.08910249117° |
Mean anomaly | M | 184.88028888283° |
Mean motion | n | 0.13954102°/day |
Visualization of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 61P/Shajn-Schaldach in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 May 14 | 23h 21m 53s | -02° 39’ 38” | 18.70 | Pisces |
2022 May 15 | 23h 23m 30s | -02° 30’ 42” | 18.68 | Pisces |
2022 May 16 | 23h 25m 06s | -02° 21’ 44” | 18.67 | Pisces |
2022 May 17 | 23h 26m 44s | -02° 12’ 50” | 18.65 | Pisces |
2022 May 18 | 23h 28m 21s | -02° 03’ 56” | 18.64 | Pisces |
2022 May 19 | 23h 29m 57s | -01° 55’ 03” | 18.62 | Pisces |
2022 May 20 | 23h 31m 32s | -01° 46’ 11” | 18.60 | Pisces |
2022 May 21 | 23h 33m 08s | -01° 37’ 22” | 18.59 | Pisces |
2022 May 22 | 23h 34m 45s | -01° 28’ 32” | 18.57 | Pisces |
2022 May 23 | 23h 36m 20s | -01° 19’ 45” | 18.55 | Pisces |
2022 May 24 | 23h 37m 55s | -01° 11’ 00” | 18.54 | Pisces |
2022 May 25 | 23h 39m 32s | -01° 02’ 17” | 18.52 | Pisces |
2022 May 26 | 23h 41m 07s | -00° 53’ 35” | 18.50 | Pisces |
2022 May 27 | 23h 42m 42s | -00° 44’ 56” | 18.49 | Pisces |