Comet 78P/Gehrels
Comet 78P/Gehrels is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 78P/Gehrels is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 78P/Gehrels?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 78P/Gehrels 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 78P/Gehrels from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 78P/Gehrels is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 12.67° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 78P/Gehrels 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 78P/Gehrels from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 78P/Gehrels 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 78P/Gehrels 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 78P/Gehrels to Earth happens on Tue Nov 9 2004 at a distance of 1.022782 Astronomical Units, or 153,005,944 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 78P/Gehrels, 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 78P/Gehrels at epoch 27 November 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456989.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.46163398 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 6.25268370° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.01154908 AU 300,923,459 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.46124453 AU 816,990,554 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.73639680 AU 558,957,007 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.2225 years 2,638.0190 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-Jan-12 02:24:19 2,455,938.6002 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2019-Apr-03 02:51 2,458,576.6192 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 192.75458609607° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 210.5626478481° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 143.41212896389° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.13646604°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 78P/Gehrels in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 78P/Gehrels 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 03 | 19h 13m 33s | -17° 29’ 31” | 20.18 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 04 | 19h 14m 43s | -17° 26’ 46” | 20.17 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 05 | 19h 15m 54s | -17° 24’ 00” | 20.16 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 06 | 19h 17m 04s | -17° 21’ 12” | 20.15 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 07 | 19h 18m 14s | -17° 18’ 20” | 20.14 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 08 | 19h 19m 23s | -17° 15’ 27” | 20.13 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 09 | 19h 20m 33s | -17° 12’ 30” | 20.12 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 10 | 19h 21m 43s | -17° 09’ 32” | 20.11 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 11 | 19h 22m 52s | -17° 06’ 31” | 20.09 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 12 | 19h 24m 02s | -17° 03’ 28” | 20.08 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 13 | 19h 25m 11s | -17° 00’ 22” | 20.07 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 14 | 19h 26m 20s | -16° 57’ 14” | 20.06 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 15 | 19h 27m 29s | -16° 54’ 04” | 20.05 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 Feb 16 | 19h 28m 37s | -16° 50’ 52” | 20.04 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 78P/Gehrels?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 78P/Gehrels from Earth?)
- When does Comet 78P/Gehrels rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 78P/Gehrels?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 78P/Gehrels orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 78P/Gehrels with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 78P/Gehrels for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 78P/Gehrels in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 78P/Gehrels with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.