Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Position
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is currently in the constellation of Ophiucus. The current Right Ascension is 16h 26m 51s and the Declination is -24° 27’ 48”.
Simplified sky chart showing where Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars and constellations (see fuillscreen Online Planetarium)
Field of view: 60x30 degrees
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Hihgher precision deep sky finder chart showing where Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is right now (view fullscreen)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
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Also check out Where is Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Distance
The distance of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Earth is currently 665,838,311 kilometers, equivalent to 4.450854 Astronomical Units. Light takes 37 minutes and 0.9975 seconds to travel from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 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 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100 the closest approach of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to Earth happens on Fri Nov 12 2021 at a distance of 0.41819431 Astronomical Units, or 62,560,978 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is 22.62.
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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, 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 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko touches the horizon, consideting the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmoshpere conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at epoch 23 October 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455493.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.64058474 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 7.04369869° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.24527937 AU 186,291,142 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.68419467 AU 850,343,421 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.46473702 AU 518,317,281 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.4500 years 2,355.6125 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Feb-28 12:42:25 2,454,891.0295 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2015-Aug-12 03:24 2,457,246.6419 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 12.694464049062° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 50.180001144376° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 92.073462245369° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15282650°/day |
Visualization of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 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 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Jun 11 | 16h 31m 59s | -24° 38’ 02” | 22.63 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 12 | 16h 31m 17s | -24° 36’ 42” | 22.63 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 13 | 16h 30m 36s | -24° 35’ 22” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 14 | 16h 29m 53s | -24° 34’ 01” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 15 | 16h 29m 12s | -24° 32’ 39” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 16 | 16h 28m 32s | -24° 31’ 18” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 17 | 16h 27m 51s | -24° 29’ 54” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 18 | 16h 27m 11s | -24° 28’ 31” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 19 | 16h 26m 31s | -24° 27’ 06” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 20 | 16h 25m 53s | -24° 25’ 41” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 21 | 16h 25m 14s | -24° 24’ 16” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 22 | 16h 24m 34s | -24° 22’ 51” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 23 | 16h 23m 57s | -24° 21’ 27” | 22.62 | Ophiucus |
| 2019 Jun 24 | 16h 23m 18s | -24° 20’ 00” | 22.62 | Scorpius |