Comet 78P/Gehrels
Comet 78P/Gehrels is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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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 below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 78P/Gehrels is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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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 |
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 May 22 | 20h 44m 07s | -10° 36’ 22” | 18.49 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 23 | 20h 44m 21s | -10° 33’ 11” | 18.47 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 24 | 20h 44m 33s | -10° 30’ 04” | 18.45 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 25 | 20h 44m 45s | -10° 27’ 02” | 18.43 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 26 | 20h 44m 55s | -10° 24’ 01” | 18.41 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 27 | 20h 45m 05s | -10° 21’ 05” | 18.39 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 28 | 20h 45m 13s | -10° 18’ 14” | 18.37 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 29 | 20h 45m 20s | -10° 15’ 26” | 18.35 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 30 | 20h 45m 26s | -10° 12’ 42” | 18.33 | Aquarius |
| 2025 May 31 | 20h 45m 31s | -10° 10’ 01” | 18.31 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 20h 45m 35s | -10° 07’ 25” | 18.29 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 20h 45m 38s | -10° 04’ 53” | 18.27 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Jun 03 | 20h 45m 40s | -10° 02’ 26” | 18.25 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Jun 04 | 20h 45m 41s | -10° 00’ 03” | 18.23 | Aquarius |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 78P/Gehrels: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Comet 78P/Gehrels?: Key information on locating Comet 78P/Gehrels in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet 78P/Gehrels is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet 78P/Gehrels?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet 78P/Gehrels's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet 78P/Gehrels's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet 78P/Gehrels's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet 78P/Gehrels orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet 78P/Gehrels with respect to the major Solar System objects.