Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) Position
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is currently in the constellation of Centaurus. The current Right Ascension is 12h 38m 20s and the Declination is -51° 50’ 09”.
Simplified sky chart showing where Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars and constellations (see full screen Online Planetarium)
Field of view: 60x30 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart showing where Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is right now (view fullscreen)
Also check out Where is Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) Distance
The distance of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) from Earth is currently 304,320,195 kilometers, equivalent to 2.034255 Astronomical Units. Light takes 16 minutes and 55.1029 seconds to travel from Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) 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/2019 Q4 (Borisov) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100 the closest approach of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) to Earth happens on Sat Dec 28 2019 at a distance of 1.93684203 Astronomical Units, or 289,747,444 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is 16.85.
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 behavior 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), 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/2019 Q4 (Borisov) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) at epoch 04 January 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458853.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 3.35705727 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 44.05348672° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.00661548 AU 300,185,403 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2019-Dec-08 13:18:12 2,458,826.0543 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 209.1243977656° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 308.14995289704° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 34.437945386042° |
| Mean motion | n | 1.25476686°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) 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/2019 Q4 (Borisov) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Jan 18 | 12h 29m 16s | -47° 24’ 09” | 16.73 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 19 | 12h 30m 30s | -48° 00’ 15” | 16.75 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 20 | 12h 31m 44s | -48° 35’ 54” | 16.76 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 21 | 12h 32m 57s | -49° 11’ 04” | 16.78 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 22 | 12h 34m 08s | -49° 45’ 47” | 16.79 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 23 | 12h 35m 17s | -50° 19’ 59” | 16.81 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 24 | 12h 36m 26s | -50° 53’ 42” | 16.82 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 25 | 12h 37m 33s | -51° 26’ 54” | 16.84 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 26 | 12h 38m 39s | -51° 59’ 39” | 16.85 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 27 | 12h 39m 44s | -52° 31’ 51” | 16.87 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 28 | 12h 40m 47s | -53° 03’ 36” | 16.88 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 29 | 12h 41m 49s | -53° 34’ 49” | 16.90 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 30 | 12h 42m 50s | -54° 05’ 33” | 16.92 | Centaurus |
| 2020 Jan 31 | 12h 43m 48s | -54° 35’ 44” | 16.93 | Centaurus |