Comet 88P/Howell
Comet 88P/Howell Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 88P/Howell 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 88P/Howell Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 88P/Howell rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 88P/Howell Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 88P/Howell with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 88P/Howell 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 88P/Howell in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 88P/Howell Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 88P/Howell computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 88P/Howell in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 09 | 10h 02m 30s | +17° 04’ 12” | 21.77 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 10h 02m 31s | +17° 05’ 21” | 21.75 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 10h 02m 31s | +17° 06’ 34” | 21.74 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 10h 02m 30s | +17° 07’ 54” | 21.72 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 10h 02m 29s | +17° 09’ 19” | 21.71 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 10h 02m 26s | +17° 10’ 49” | 21.70 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 10h 02m 22s | +17° 12’ 24” | 21.68 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 10h 02m 17s | +17° 14’ 04” | 21.67 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 10h 02m 12s | +17° 15’ 51” | 21.66 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 10h 02m 06s | +17° 17’ 42” | 21.64 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 19 | 10h 01m 58s | +17° 19’ 37” | 21.63 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 20 | 10h 01m 50s | +17° 21’ 39” | 21.62 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 21 | 10h 01m 40s | +17° 23’ 45” | 21.60 | Leo |
| 2018 Dec 22 | 10h 01m 28s | +17° 25’ 58” | 21.59 | Leo |
Distance of Comet 88P/Howell from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 88P/Howell 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 88P/Howell is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 88P/Howell
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 88P/Howell, 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 88P/Howell Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 88P/Howell at epoch 23 January 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456316.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.56210874 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 4.38264987° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.36181094 AU 203,724,018 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.85804810 AU 726,753,653 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.10992952 AU 465,238,835 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4800 years 2,003.1997 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Apr-06 20:25:19 2,457,119.3509 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2020-Sep-30 01:12 2,459,122.5506 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 235.83976799263° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 56.743572332562° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 215.71766487491° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17971249°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2042-Jun-05 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.73631991 AU 110,151,891 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.