Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8)
Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) is currently in the constellation of Eridanus, at a distance of 2,044,688,138 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 SWAN (C/2020 F8) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2020 F8 (SWAN) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 F8 (SWAN) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) 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 SWAN (C/2020 F8) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) from Earth is currently 2,044,688,138 kilometers, equivalent to 13.667896 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 53 minutes and 40.3455 seconds to travel from Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) 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/2020 F8 (SWAN) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) to Earth happens on Wed May 13 2020 at a distance of 0.555961 Astronomical Units, or 83,170,523 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8), 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 SWAN (C/2020 F8) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) at epoch 25 April 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458965.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99993522 |
Orbit inclination | i | 110.79774989° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.43033201 AU 64,376,752 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
13,284.78960615 AU 1,987,376,241,764 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
6,642.60996908 AU 993,720,309,258 km |
Orbital period | period |
541,397.6068 years 197,745,475.8752 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-May-27 13:04:39 2,458,997.0449 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2185-Jun-22 05:38 200,204,472.9201 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 68.193326113454° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 260.02922794616° |
Mean anomaly | M | 359.99994257181° |
Mean motion | n | 0.00000182°/day |
Visualization of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) 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 SWAN (C/2020 F8) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Mar 12 | 04h 06m 54s | -22° 18’ 54” | 22.31 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 13 | 04h 07m 00s | -22° 16’ 09” | 22.31 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 14 | 04h 07m 05s | -22° 13’ 24” | 22.31 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 15 | 04h 07m 12s | -22° 10’ 41” | 22.32 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 16 | 04h 07m 18s | -22° 07’ 59” | 22.32 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 17 | 04h 07m 24s | -22° 05’ 18” | 22.32 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 18 | 04h 07m 32s | -22° 02’ 39” | 22.33 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 19 | 04h 07m 40s | -22° 00’ 00” | 22.33 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 20 | 04h 07m 46s | -21° 57’ 21” | 22.34 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 21 | 04h 07m 54s | -21° 54’ 45” | 22.34 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 22 | 04h 08m 03s | -21° 52’ 09” | 22.34 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 23 | 04h 08m 12s | -21° 49’ 35” | 22.35 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 24 | 04h 08m 20s | -21° 47’ 02” | 22.35 | Eridanus |
2024 Mar 25 | 04h 08m 29s | -21° 44’ 30” | 22.35 | Eridanus |