Comet 81P/Wild
Comet 81P/Wild is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High 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.
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 81P/Wild from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 81P/Wild is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 0.23° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 81P/Wild to Earth happens on Sun Apr 6 2042 at a distance of 0.655769 Astronomical Units, or 98,101,710 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 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 81P/Wild at epoch 20 November 2019 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458808.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53739891 |
Orbit inclination | i | 3.23700417° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.59585607 AU 238,736,671 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
5.30363508 AU 793,412,517 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.44974558 AU 516,074,594 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.4075 years 2,340.3404 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Dec-15 18:49:47 2,459,929.2846 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2029-May-13 02:59 2,462,269.6250 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 41.725230851144° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 136.11022085006° |
Mean anomaly | M | 187.59668142321° |
Mean motion | n | 0.15382378°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 81P/Wild in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 10 | 22h 22m 26s | -11° 06’ 33” | 22.24 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 11 | 22h 23m 17s | -11° 01’ 52” | 22.25 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 12 | 22h 24m 08s | -10° 57’ 10” | 22.25 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 13 | 22h 24m 57s | -10° 52’ 27” | 22.26 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 14 | 22h 25m 48s | -10° 47’ 45” | 22.26 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 15 | 22h 26m 39s | -10° 43’ 01” | 22.27 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 16 | 22h 27m 30s | -10° 38’ 17” | 22.27 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 17 | 22h 28m 21s | -10° 33’ 33” | 22.28 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 18 | 22h 29m 11s | -10° 28’ 49” | 22.28 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 19 | 22h 30m 02s | -10° 24’ 04” | 22.28 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 20 | 22h 30m 53s | -10° 19’ 18” | 22.29 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 21 | 22h 31m 43s | -10° 14’ 32” | 22.29 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 22 | 22h 32m 34s | -10° 09’ 47” | 22.29 | Aquarius |
2025 Feb 23 | 22h 33m 25s | -10° 05’ 01” | 22.30 | Aquarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 81P/Wild?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 81P/Wild from Earth?)
- When does Comet 81P/Wild rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 81P/Wild?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 81P/Wild orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 81P/Wild with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 81P/Wild for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 81P/Wild in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 81P/Wild with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.