Comet 81P/Wild 2
Comet 81P/Wild 2 Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild 2 Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 81P/Wild 2 rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 81P/Wild 2 Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 81P/Wild 2 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild 2 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 81P/Wild 2 Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 81P/Wild 2 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 81P/Wild 2 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 03 | 22h 08m 17s | -12° 52’ 55” | 22.19 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 04 | 22h 08m 40s | -12° 50’ 43” | 22.20 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 05 | 22h 09m 05s | -12° 48’ 26” | 22.21 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 22h 09m 29s | -12° 46’ 06” | 22.22 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 22h 09m 55s | -12° 43’ 44” | 22.22 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 22h 10m 20s | -12° 41’ 17” | 22.23 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 22h 10m 46s | -12° 38’ 48” | 22.24 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 22h 11m 13s | -12° 36’ 15” | 22.25 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 22h 11m 42s | -12° 33’ 41” | 22.26 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 22h 12m 10s | -12° 31’ 01” | 22.27 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 22h 12m 38s | -12° 28’ 21” | 22.28 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 22h 13m 06s | -12° 25’ 36” | 22.29 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 22h 13m 36s | -12° 22’ 48” | 22.30 | Aquarius |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 22h 14m 07s | -12° 19’ 58” | 22.31 | Aquarius |
Distance of Comet 81P/Wild 2 from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild 2 is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 81P/Wild 2
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild 2 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 81P/Wild 2 at epoch 04 September 2011 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455809.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53707073 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.23724755° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.59796866 AU 239,052,710 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.30575839 AU 793,730,159 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.45186353 AU 516,391,435 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.4100 years 2,342.4960 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Feb-22 13:28:30 2,455,250.0615 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2016-Jul-23 01:22 2,457,592.5574 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 41.75623208556° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 136.09768554074° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 85.975761164276° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15368223°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2042-Apr-05 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.65385245 AU 97,814,934 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.