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 Dec 05 | 01h 51m 43s | +33° 57’ 24” | 14.53 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 01h 54m 06s | +33° 48’ 03” | 14.56 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 01h 56m 29s | +33° 38’ 39” | 14.59 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 01h 58m 51s | +33° 29’ 13” | 14.62 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 02h 01m 15s | +33° 19’ 45” | 14.65 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 02h 03m 41s | +33° 10’ 14” | 14.68 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 02h 06m 06s | +33° 00’ 43” | 14.71 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 02h 08m 31s | +32° 51’ 12” | 14.74 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 02h 10m 58s | +32° 41’ 43” | 14.77 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 02h 13m 23s | +32° 32’ 13” | 14.81 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 02h 15m 51s | +32° 22’ 46” | 14.84 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 02h 18m 18s | +32° 13’ 23” | 14.87 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 02h 20m 44s | +32° 04’ 01” | 14.91 | Triangulum |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 02h 23m 12s | +31° 54’ 43” | 14.94 | Triangulum |
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 10 August 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457611.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68715302 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 8.94525258° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.39351264 AU 208,466,524 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
7.51507682 AU 1,124,239,492 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.45429473 AU 666,353,008 km |
| Orbital period | period |
9.4000 years 3,433.7356 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Nov-04 01:53:17 2,458,426.5787 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2028-Mar-29 19:32 2,461,860.3143 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 97.139015996931° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 300.01894402183° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 274.54545276442° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.10484209°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Oct-28 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.44480495 AU 66,541,874 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.