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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:47  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet 94P/Russell

Altitude: 21.3°   Azimuth: 191.6°   Direction: South-South-West

Comet 94P/Russell is currently in the constellation of Libra.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 94P/Russell is 15h 23m 12s and the Declination is -16° 30’ 45” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 94P/Russell is 19.84 (JPL).

15h 23m 12s
-16° 30’ 45”
Libra
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
19.84

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 94P/Russell from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 106.5°
Max altitude: 22.0°
Azimuth: 253.5°
  • 94P/Russell is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 21° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 94P/Russell 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.

Available Resources

Comet 94P/Russell Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 94P/Russell 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.

Finder chart of 94P/Russell in Libra on December,05 2023
Map showing Comet 94P/Russell in Libra on December, 05 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 94P/Russell
Map showing Comet 94P/Russell in Libra on December, 05 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 94P/Russell is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

94P/Russell
RA: 15h 23m 12s
Dec: -16° 30’ 45”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 94P/Russell
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet 94P/Russell?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 94P/Russell in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet 94P/Russell Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 94P/Russell from Earth is currently 523,028,668 kilometers, equivalent to 3.496231 Astronomical Units. Light takes 29 minutes and 4.6358 seconds to travel from Comet 94P/Russell and arrive to us.

523,028,668
3.496231
29 minutes and 4.6358 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet 94P/Russell 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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 94P/Russell from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 94P/Russell from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet 94P/Russell to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 94P/Russell to Earth happens on Tue Feb 23 2010 at a distance of 1.275150 Astronomical Units, or 190,759,767 kilometers:

Tue Feb 23 2010
190,759,767
1.275150

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 94P/Russell Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 94P/Russell, 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 94P/Russell as a function of time

Comet 94P/Russell Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 94P/Russell at epoch 26 October 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456592.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.36387421
Orbit inclination i 6.18391849°
Perihelion distance q 2.23406307 AU
334,211,079 km
Aphelion distance Q 4.78990332 AU
716,559,340 km
Semi-major axis a 3.51198320 AU
525,385,209 km
Orbital period period 6.5817 years
2,403.9591 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2016-Oct-28 00:26:52
2,457,689.5187 JD
Next perihelion transit 2023-May-28 23:27
2,460,093.4778 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 92.663101402853°
Longitude of the ascending node node 70.90800527207°
Mean anomaly M 195.71820172493°
Mean motion n 0.14975296°/day

Visualization of Comet 94P/Russell Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 94P/Russell with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 94P/Russell 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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 94P/Russell
View Comet 94P/Russell in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 94P/Russell 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 94P/Russell computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 94P/Russell in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 28 15h 09m 46s -15° 31’ 19” 19.81 Libra
2023 Nov 29 15h 11m 34s -15° 39’ 33” 19.82 Libra
2023 Nov 30 15h 13m 23s -15° 47’ 41” 19.82 Libra
2023 Dec 01 15h 15m 11s -15° 55’ 45” 19.82 Libra
2023 Dec 02 15h 16m 59s -16° 03’ 43” 19.83 Libra
2023 Dec 03 15h 18m 47s -16° 11’ 36” 19.83 Libra
2023 Dec 04 15h 20m 35s -16° 19’ 26” 19.84 Libra
2023 Dec 05 15h 22m 23s -16° 27’ 09” 19.84 Libra
2023 Dec 06 15h 24m 10s -16° 34’ 46” 19.85 Libra
2023 Dec 07 15h 25m 58s -16° 42’ 20” 19.85 Libra
2023 Dec 08 15h 27m 45s -16° 49’ 49” 19.85 Libra
2023 Dec 09 15h 29m 31s -16° 57’ 11” 19.86 Libra
2023 Dec 10 15h 31m 18s -17° 04’ 29” 19.86 Libra
2023 Dec 11 15h 33m 06s -17° 11’ 43” 19.86 Libra