Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa
Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa is in the constellation of
Virgo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 72P/Denning-Fujikawa is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 72P/Denning-Fujikawa is visible only through long exposure photography.
- 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa 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 72P/Denning-Fujikawa from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa to Earth happens on Fri Aug 22 2059 at a distance of 0.170790 Astronomical Units, or 25,549,815 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa at epoch 20 September 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457286.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.82045974 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 9.23291453° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.78052891 AU 116,765,464 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
7.91422175 AU 1,183,950,725 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.34737533 AU 650,358,094 km |
| Orbital period | period |
9.0646 years 3,310.8472 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Jul-12 06:43:54 2,456,850.7805 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Aug-05 03:03 2,460,161.6277 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 338.47296453447° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 35.435634609379° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 47.377306623804° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.10873350°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Feb 12 | 11h 54m 40s | +09° 12’ 47” | 35.02 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 13 | 11h 54m 09s | +09° 16’ 35” | 35.02 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 14 | 11h 53m 37s | +09° 20’ 24” | 35.03 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 15 | 11h 53m 05s | +09° 24’ 14” | 35.03 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 16 | 11h 52m 33s | +09° 28’ 06” | 35.04 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 17 | 11h 52m 00s | +09° 31’ 59” | 35.05 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 18 | 11h 51m 26s | +09° 35’ 52” | 35.05 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 19 | 11h 50m 53s | +09° 39’ 46” | 35.06 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 20 | 11h 50m 18s | +09° 43’ 41” | 35.06 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 21 | 11h 49m 44s | +09° 47’ 36” | 35.07 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 22 | 11h 49m 08s | +09° 51’ 31” | 35.08 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 23 | 11h 48m 33s | +09° 55’ 27” | 35.08 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 24 | 11h 47m 57s | +09° 59’ 22” | 35.09 | Virgo |
| 2025 Feb 25 | 11h 47m 21s | +10° 03’ 18” | 35.10 | Virgo |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa from Earth?)
- When does Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.