Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is currently in the constellation of Cetus, at a distance of 3,196,338,390 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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 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 C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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!
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 |