Comet 66P/du Toit
Comet 66P/du Toit is currently in the constellation of Auriga, at a distance of 1,685,272,336 kilometers from Earth.
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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 66P/du Toit from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 66P/du Toit is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 50° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 66P/du Toit is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 66P/du Toit is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 66P/du Toit?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 66P/du Toit in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 66P/du Toit Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 66P/du Toit from Earth is currently 1,685,272,336 kilometers, equivalent to 11.265350 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 33 minutes and 41.4634 seconds to travel from Comet 66P/du Toit and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 66P/du Toit 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 66P/du Toit from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 66P/du Toit to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 66P/du Toit to Earth happens on Fri May 18 2018 at a distance of 0.896003 Astronomical Units, or 134,040,105 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 66P/du Toit Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 66P/du Toit, 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 66P/du Toit Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 66P/du Toit at epoch 30 October 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456961.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.78656817 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.66897133° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.28545145 AU 192,300,800 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
10.76009448 AU 1,609,687,226 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.02277296 AU 900,994,013 km |
| Orbital period | period |
14.7810 years 5,398.7494 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-May-20 11:15:17 2,458,258.9689 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2033-Mar-01 05:14 2,463,657.7183 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 257.34273411042° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 21.999850955098° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 273.48203248283° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06668211°/day |
Visualization of Comet 66P/du Toit Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 66P/du Toit with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 66P/du Toit 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 66P/du Toit in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 66P/du Toit 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 66P/du Toit computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 66P/du Toit in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 05h 44m 21s | +39° 51’ 51” | 28.10 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 02 | 05h 44m 44s | +39° 51’ 01” | 28.10 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 03 | 05h 45m 07s | +39° 50’ 11” | 28.10 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 04 | 05h 45m 32s | +39° 49’ 22” | 28.11 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 05 | 05h 45m 55s | +39° 48’ 34” | 28.11 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 06 | 05h 46m 19s | +39° 47’ 48” | 28.11 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 07 | 05h 46m 44s | +39° 47’ 02” | 28.12 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 08 | 05h 47m 08s | +39° 46’ 17” | 28.12 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 09 | 05h 47m 33s | +39° 45’ 33” | 28.12 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 10 | 05h 47m 57s | +39° 44’ 49” | 28.12 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 11 | 05h 48m 23s | +39° 44’ 08” | 28.13 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 12 | 05h 48m 48s | +39° 43’ 27” | 28.13 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 13 | 05h 49m 14s | +39° 42’ 47” | 28.13 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 14 | 05h 49m 40s | +39° 42’ 09” | 28.13 | Auriga |