Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is currently in the constellation of Virgo. The current Right Ascension of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is 14h 07m 59s and the Declination is -11° 42’ 26” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is 20.44 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the West-South-West direction at an altitude of 8° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko rise and set times.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Additional information about Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
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 from Earth
The distance of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Earth is currently 575,424,534 kilometers, equivalent to 3.846475 Astronomical Units. Light takes 31 minutes and 59.4096 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 0.418168 Astronomical Units, or 62,557,001 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 20.44.
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 behavior 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, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric 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 25 October 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457687.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.64188972 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 7.05257029° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.24057409 AU 185,587,243 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.68787321 AU 850,893,723 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.46422365 AU 518,240,483 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.4479 years 2,355.0889 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Aug-13 09:46:07 2,457,247.9070 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Jan-23 11:54 2,459,602.9960 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 12.839852347612° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 50.047237228805° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 67.196388451589° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15286047°/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Jan 22 | 14h 06m 14s | -11° 32’ 35” | 20.45 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 23 | 14h 06m 30s | -11° 34’ 10” | 20.45 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 24 | 14h 06m 47s | -11° 35’ 40” | 20.45 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 25 | 14h 07m 02s | -11° 37’ 06” | 20.45 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 26 | 14h 07m 18s | -11° 38’ 27” | 20.44 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 27 | 14h 07m 31s | -11° 39’ 43” | 20.44 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 28 | 14h 07m 44s | -11° 40’ 54” | 20.44 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 29 | 14h 07m 55s | -11° 41’ 59” | 20.44 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 30 | 14h 08m 05s | -11° 43’ 00” | 20.44 | Virgo |
| 2023 Jan 31 | 14h 08m 16s | -11° 43’ 55” | 20.43 | Virgo |
| 2023 Feb 01 | 14h 08m 25s | -11° 44’ 47” | 20.43 | Virgo |
| 2023 Feb 02 | 14h 08m 33s | -11° 45’ 32” | 20.43 | Virgo |
| 2023 Feb 03 | 14h 08m 39s | -11° 46’ 11” | 20.43 | Virgo |
| 2023 Feb 04 | 14h 08m 45s | -11° 46’ 46” | 20.42 | Virgo |