Comet 66P/du Toit
Comet 66P/du Toit Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 66P/du Toit 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 66P/du Toit Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 66P/du Toit rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 66P/du Toit Orbit Diagram
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Nov 08 | 23h 53m 08s | -04° 52’ 54” | 16.66 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 09 | 23h 53m 03s | -04° 44’ 13” | 16.70 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 10 | 23h 52m 59s | -04° 35’ 33” | 16.74 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 11 | 23h 52m 59s | -04° 26’ 50” | 16.78 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 12 | 23h 52m 59s | -04° 18’ 09” | 16.81 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 13 | 23h 52m 59s | -04° 09’ 26” | 16.85 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 14 | 23h 53m 03s | -04° 00’ 45” | 16.89 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 15 | 23h 53m 08s | -03° 52’ 01” | 16.93 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 16 | 23h 53m 14s | -03° 43’ 19” | 16.96 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 17 | 23h 53m 21s | -03° 34’ 36” | 17.00 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 18 | 23h 53m 30s | -03° 25’ 54” | 17.04 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Nov 19 | 23h 53m 41s | -03° 17’ 11” | 17.07 | Pisces |
| 2018 Nov 20 | 23h 53m 53s | -03° 08’ 26” | 17.11 | Pisces |
| 2018 Nov 21 | 23h 54m 06s | -02° 59’ 44” | 17.14 | Pisces |
Distance of Comet 66P/du Toit from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 66P/du Toit 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 66P/du Toit is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 66P/du Toit
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 15 February 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456704.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.78638538 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.66761731° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.28569605 AU 192,337,393 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
10.75183239 AU 1,608,451,234 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.01876422 AU 900,394,313 km |
| Orbital period | period |
14.7700 years 5,393.3602 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-May-21 13:05:24 2,458,260.0454 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2033-Feb-24 21:44 2,463,653.4056 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 257.34017789542° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 22.039320576581° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 256.16930146772° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.06674874°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-May-18 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.89600255 AU 134,040,074 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.