Comet 78P/Gehrels 2
Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 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 78P/Gehrels 2 Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 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 78P/Gehrels 2 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 05 | 22h 08m 59s | -07° 40’ 45” | 13.09 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 22h 10m 27s | -07° 35’ 48” | 13.09 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 22h 11m 54s | -07° 30’ 42” | 13.09 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 22h 13m 23s | -07° 25’ 29” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 22h 14m 53s | -07° 20’ 08” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 22h 16m 24s | -07° 14’ 38” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 22h 17m 56s | -07° 09’ 01” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 22h 19m 27s | -07° 03’ 15” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 22h 21m 01s | -06° 57’ 21” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 22h 22m 35s | -06° 51’ 20” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 22h 24m 10s | -06° 45’ 11” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 22h 25m 45s | -06° 38’ 54” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 22h 27m 21s | -06° 32’ 30” | 13.08 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 22h 28m 59s | -06° 25’ 59” | 13.07 | Aquarius |
Distance of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 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 78P/Gehrels 2 is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2, 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 78P/Gehrels 2 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 78P/Gehrels 2 at epoch 14 May 2009 00:00 UTC (JD: 2454966.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.46177368 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 6.25358018° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.01036189 AU 300,745,859 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.45995987 AU 816,798,372 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.73516088 AU 558,772,115 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.2200 years 2,636.7102 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-Jan-13 16:28:25 2,455,940.1864 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2019-Apr-03 09:31 2,458,576.8966 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 192.87625747976° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 210.54855467046° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 227.05891678516° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.13653378°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2026-Dec-31 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.55888353 AU 233,205,657 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.