Comet 88P/Howell
Comet 88P/Howell is currently in the constellation of Cancer, at a distance of 678,459,102 kilometers from Earth.
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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 88P/Howell from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 88P/Howell is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 88P/Howell is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 88P/Howell Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 88P/Howell is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 88P/Howell?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 88P/Howell in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 88P/Howell Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 88P/Howell from Earth is currently 678,459,102 kilometers, equivalent to 4.535219 Astronomical Units. Light takes 37 minutes and 43.0960 seconds to travel from Comet 88P/Howell and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 88P/Howell 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 88P/Howell from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 88P/Howell to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 88P/Howell to Earth happens on Mon Jun 2 2042 at a distance of 0.766150 Astronomical Units, or 114,614,422 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 88P/Howell Brightness and Light Curve
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 26 March 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457474.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.56309441 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 4.38310084° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.35819687 AU 203,183,361 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.85915037 AU 726,918,550 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.10867362 AU 465,050,956 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4811 years 2,001.9864 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Apr-06 05:18:10 2,457,118.7210 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2020-Sep-28 04:58 2,459,120.7073 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 235.89373091172° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 56.697598516849° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 63.976687455778° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17982140°/day |
Visualization of Comet 88P/Howell Orbit
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 15 Days 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 20 | 08h 08m 20s | +24° 35’ 41” | 21.24 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 08h 08m 35s | +24° 34’ 01” | 21.25 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 08h 08m 53s | +24° 32’ 20” | 21.25 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 08h 09m 11s | +24° 30’ 36” | 21.25 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 08h 09m 29s | +24° 28’ 50” | 21.26 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 08h 09m 48s | +24° 27’ 01” | 21.26 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 08h 10m 09s | +24° 25’ 09” | 21.27 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 08h 10m 30s | +24° 23’ 17” | 21.27 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 08h 10m 51s | +24° 21’ 21” | 21.28 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 08h 11m 15s | +24° 19’ 23” | 21.28 | Cancer |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 08h 11m 39s | +24° 17’ 25” | 21.29 | Cancer |
| 2024 May 01 | 08h 12m 02s | +24° 15’ 23” | 21.29 | Cancer |
| 2024 May 02 | 08h 12m 28s | +24° 13’ 18” | 21.30 | Cancer |
| 2024 May 03 | 08h 12m 52s | +24° 11’ 12” | 21.30 | Cancer |