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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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Comets » 

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)

Altitude: -41.7°   Azimuth: 29.2°   Direction: North-North-East

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is currently in the constellation of Cetus, at a distance of 3,196,338,390 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) in Cetus on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) in Cetus on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is 02h 45m 11s and the Declination is -06° 37’ 41” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is 35.86 (JPL).

02h 45m 11s
-06° 37’ 41”
Cetus
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
35.86

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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 96.6°
Max altitude: 31.9°
Azimuth: 263.4°
  • C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 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.

Additional Resources

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
Map showing Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) in Cetus on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
RA: 02h 45m 11s
Dec: -06° 37’ 41”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) from Earth is currently 3,196,338,390 kilometers, equivalent to 21.366202 Astronomical Units. Light takes 2 hours, 57 minutes and 41.8372 seconds to travel from Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) and arrive to us.

3,196,338,390
21.366202
2 hours, 57 minutes and 41.8372 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) to Earth happens on Mon Dec 12 2016 at a distance of 0.709002 Astronomical Units, or 106,065,204 kilometers:

Mon Dec 12 2016
106,065,204
0.709002

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

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE), 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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) as a function of time

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) at epoch 11 December 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457734.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00025297
Orbit inclination i 46.43483258°
Perihelion distance q 0.31916965 AU
47,747,100 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2017-Jan-14 00:24:03
2,457,767.5167 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 162.74827034161°
Longitude of the ascending node node 61.428520744735°
Mean anomaly M -0.00072613145388743°
Mean motion n 0.00002199°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
View Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 02h 44m 18s -06° 47’ 47” 35.83 Cetus
2024 Mar 13 02h 44m 25s -06° 46’ 22” 35.84 Cetus
2024 Mar 14 02h 44m 33s -06° 44’ 57” 35.84 Cetus
2024 Mar 15 02h 44m 39s -06° 43’ 32” 35.84 Cetus
2024 Mar 16 02h 44m 47s -06° 42’ 07” 35.85 Cetus
2024 Mar 17 02h 44m 53s -06° 40’ 42” 35.85 Cetus
2024 Mar 18 02h 45m 02s -06° 39’ 19” 35.85 Cetus
2024 Mar 19 02h 45m 10s -06° 37’ 55” 35.86 Cetus
2024 Mar 20 02h 45m 17s -06° 36’ 33” 35.86 Eridanus
2024 Mar 21 02h 45m 24s -06° 35’ 09” 35.86 Eridanus
2024 Mar 22 02h 45m 33s -06° 33’ 47” 35.86 Eridanus
2024 Mar 23 02h 45m 42s -06° 32’ 25” 35.87 Eridanus
2024 Mar 24 02h 45m 50s -06° 31’ 03” 35.87 Eridanus
2024 Mar 25 02h 45m 57s -06° 29’ 42” 35.87 Eridanus