Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels
Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels 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 64P/Swift-Gehrels in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Oct 12 | 00h 32m 14s | +34° 22’ 09” | 14.13 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 13 | 00h 32m 42s | +34° 35’ 03” | 14.12 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 14 | 00h 33m 10s | +34° 47’ 25” | 14.11 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 15 | 00h 33m 39s | +34° 59’ 12” | 14.09 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 16 | 00h 34m 11s | +35° 10’ 27” | 14.08 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 17 | 00h 34m 45s | +35° 21’ 06” | 14.07 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 18 | 00h 35m 21s | +35° 31’ 13” | 14.06 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 19 | 00h 35m 58s | +35° 40’ 44” | 14.05 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 20 | 00h 36m 38s | +35° 49’ 41” | 14.04 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 21 | 00h 37m 22s | +35° 58’ 03” | 14.03 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 22 | 00h 38m 06s | +36° 05’ 49” | 14.02 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 23 | 00h 38m 53s | +36° 13’ 03” | 14.02 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 24 | 00h 39m 42s | +36° 19’ 41” | 14.01 | Andromeda |
| 2018 Oct 25 | 00h 40m 33s | +36° 25’ 44” | 14.01 | Andromeda |
Distance of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 64P/Swift-Gehrels is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels, 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 64P/Swift-Gehrels Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 64P/Swift-Gehrels at epoch 13 September 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457279.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68747366 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 8.94280709° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.39151732 AU 208,168,029 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
7.51344291 AU 1,123,995,062 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.45248011 AU 666,081,546 km |
| Orbital period | period |
9.4000 years 3,431.6375 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Nov-03 22:05:18 2,458,426.4204 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 97.142377257762° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 300.04869577959° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 239.68096213594° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.10490618°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Oct-28 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.44480507 AU 66,541,892 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.