Comet 81P/Wild
Comet 81P/Wild is currently in the constellation of Ophiucus.
The current Right Ascension of Comet 81P/Wild is 17h 31m 28s and the Declination is -18° 13’ 59” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom ). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 81P/Wild is 14.24 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 14.0 (COBS).
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 81P/Wild from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 81P/Wild is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 81P/Wild is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 14 inches (350mm) or more.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 81P/Wild Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 81P/Wild finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 81P/Wild is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 81P/Wild?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 81P/Wild in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 81P/Wild Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 81P/Wild from Earth is currently 184,365,114 kilometers, equivalent to 1.232405 Astronomical Units. Light takes 10 minutes and 14.9758 seconds to travel from Comet 81P/Wild and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 81P/Wild to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 81P/Wild to Earth happens on Sat Apr 5 2042 at a distance of 0.654930 Astronomical Units, or 97,976,142 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 81P/Wild Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 81P/Wild, 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 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 81P/Wild at epoch 04 October 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455474.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53722867 |
Orbit inclination | i | 3.23711179° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.59800863 AU 239,058,690 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.30824737 AU 794,102,506 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.45312800 AU 516,580,598 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.4169 years 2,343.7832 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Feb-22 16:07:24 2,455,250.1718 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2016-Jul-24 10:55 2,457,593.9550 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 41.778564341258° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 136.09803830939° |
Mean anomaly | M | 34.456321905334° |
Mean motion | n | 0.15359782°/day |
Visualization of Comet 81P/Wild Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 81P/Wild with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 81P/Wild 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 in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 81P/Wild 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 81P/Wild 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 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 May 23 | 17h 38m 36s | -18° 13’ 41” | 14.10 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 24 | 17h 37m 42s | -18° 13’ 36” | 14.12 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 25 | 17h 36m 48s | -18° 13’ 33” | 14.14 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 26 | 17h 35m 53s | -18° 13’ 32” | 14.16 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 27 | 17h 34m 58s | -18° 13’ 33” | 14.18 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 28 | 17h 34m 00s | -18° 13’ 36” | 14.19 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 29 | 17h 33m 02s | -18° 13’ 42” | 14.21 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 30 | 17h 32m 03s | -18° 13’ 50” | 14.23 | Ophiucus |
2023 May 31 | 17h 31m 05s | -18° 13’ 59” | 14.25 | Ophiucus |
2023 Jun 01 | 17h 30m 06s | -18° 14’ 09” | 14.27 | Ophiucus |
2023 Jun 02 | 17h 29m 05s | -18° 14’ 22” | 14.29 | Ophiucus |
2023 Jun 03 | 17h 28m 05s | -18° 14’ 39” | 14.32 | Ophiucus |
2023 Jun 04 | 17h 27m 06s | -18° 14’ 56” | 14.34 | Ophiucus |
2023 Jun 05 | 17h 26m 04s | -18° 15’ 15” | 14.36 | Ophiucus |