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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:40  
clear_day Transit: 11:47  
SunsetSet: 15:53 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan

Altitude: -10.2°   Azimuth: 42.0°   Direction: North-East

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan is currently in the constellation of Leo.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan is 09h 41m 59s and the Declination is +18° 30’ 12” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan is 10.38 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 9.0 (COBS).

09h 41m 59s
+18° 30’ 12”
Leo
9.0
17.0'
6.0'
2023-11-26
10.38

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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 71.5°
Max altitude: 57.1°
Azimuth: 288.6°
  • 62P/Tsuchinshan is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 62P/Tsuchinshan is visible with the help of a binocular with a 60-70mm aperture or a small telescope.
  • 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.

Available Resources

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan 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.

Finder chart of 62P/Tsuchinshan in Leo on November,30 2023
Map showing Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan in Leo on November, 30 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 62P/Tsuchinshan
Map showing Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan in Leo on November, 30 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

62P/Tsuchinshan
RA: 09h 41m 59s
Dec: +18° 30’ 12”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan from Earth is currently 91,449,362 kilometers, equivalent to 0.611301 Astronomical Units. Light takes 5 minutes and 5.0422 seconds to travel from Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan and arrive to us.

91,449,362
0.611301
5 minutes and 5.0422 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 62P/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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 62P/Tsuchinshan from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan to Earth happens on Mon Jan 26 2088 at a distance of 0.412665 Astronomical Units, or 61,733,846 kilometers:

Mon Jan 26 2088
61,733,846
0.412665

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 62P/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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan as a function of time

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan at epoch 15 September 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455455.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.59787285
Orbit inclination i 9.71010910°
Perihelion distance q 1.38404802 AU
207,050,637 km
Aphelion distance Q 5.49958573 AU
822,726,317 km
Semi-major axis a 3.44181688 AU
514,888,477 km
Orbital period period 6.3854 years
2,332.2767 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2011-Jun-30 06:02:49
2,455,742.7520 JD
Next perihelion transit 2017-Nov-17 12:41
2,458,075.0286 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 30.118646313522°
Longitude of the ascending node node 90.363585290306°
Mean anomaly M 315.66104589033°
Mean motion n 0.15435562°/day

Visualization of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan 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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan
View Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 23 09h 11m 11s +19° 38’ 26” 10.76 Cancer
2023 Nov 24 09h 15m 07s +19° 30’ 24” 10.71 Cancer
2023 Nov 25 09h 19m 04s +19° 22’ 12” 10.66 Cancer
2023 Nov 26 09h 22m 59s +19° 13’ 45” 10.61 Leo
2023 Nov 27 09h 26m 56s +19° 05’ 08” 10.56 Leo
2023 Nov 28 09h 30m 51s +18° 56’ 21” 10.51 Leo
2023 Nov 29 09h 34m 48s +18° 47’ 21” 10.46 Leo
2023 Nov 30 09h 38m 43s +18° 38’ 11” 10.41 Leo
2023 Dec 01 09h 42m 38s +18° 28’ 50” 10.37 Leo
2023 Dec 02 09h 46m 32s +18° 19’ 21” 10.32 Leo
2023 Dec 03 09h 50m 25s +18° 09’ 42” 10.28 Leo
2023 Dec 04 09h 54m 17s +17° 59’ 54” 10.24 Leo
2023 Dec 05 09h 58m 09s +17° 49’ 59” 10.20 Leo
2023 Dec 06 10h 02m 00s +17° 39’ 56” 10.16 Leo