Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann

Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is currently in the constellation of Taurus.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is 03h 45m 11s and the Declination is +17° 39’ 10” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is 27.89 (JPL).

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 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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.

Available Resources

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann from Earth?)
• When does Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann?)
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann in the sky from your location.
• Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

Also check out Where is Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann from Earth is currently 467,953,177 kilometers, equivalent to 3.128074 Astronomical Units. Light takes 26 minutes and 0.9238 seconds to travel from Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann and arrive to us.

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 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 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann to Earth happens on Wed Aug 5 2048 at a distance of 0.115627 Astronomical Units, or 17,297,528 kilometers:

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, 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 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date	Right AscensionR.A.	DeclinationDec.	MagnitudeMag	Constellation
2023 Nov 28	03h 51m 37s	+17° 49’ 55”	27.83	Taurus
2023 Nov 29	03h 50m 42s	+17° 48’ 23”	27.83	Taurus
2023 Nov 30	03h 49m 45s	+17° 46’ 50”	27.84	Taurus
2023 Dec 01	03h 48m 51s	+17° 45’ 19”	27.85	Taurus
2023 Dec 02	03h 47m 57s	+17° 43’ 48”	27.86	Taurus
2023 Dec 03	03h 47m 03s	+17° 42’ 17”	27.87	Taurus
2023 Dec 04	03h 46m 09s	+17° 40’ 49”	27.88	Taurus
2023 Dec 05	03h 45m 16s	+17° 39’ 20”	27.89	Taurus
2023 Dec 06	03h 44m 25s	+17° 37’ 54”	27.90	Taurus
2023 Dec 07	03h 43m 33s	+17° 36’ 29”	27.91	Taurus
2023 Dec 08	03h 42m 42s	+17° 35’ 07”	27.92	Taurus
2023 Dec 09	03h 41m 53s	+17° 33’ 44”	27.94	Taurus
2023 Dec 10	03h 41m 03s	+17° 32’ 25”	27.95	Taurus
2023 Dec 11	03h 40m 14s	+17° 31’ 06”	27.96	Taurus