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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:49  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:04 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett)

Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) is currently in the constellation of Triangulum.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) is 02h 31m 36s and the Declination is +29° 44’ 07” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) is 36.44 (JPL).

02h 31m 36s
+29° 44’ 07”
Triangulum
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
36.44

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/1969 Y1 (Bennett) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 60.3°
Max altitude: 68.3°
Azimuth: 299.7°
  • C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 25° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) 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 C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) 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 C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) in Triangulum on June,01 2023
Map showing Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) in Triangulum on June, 01 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/1969 Y1 (Bennett)
Map showing Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) in Triangulum on June, 01 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/1969 Y1 (Bennett)
RA: 02h 31m 36s
Dec: +29° 44’ 07”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) from Earth is currently 11,262,792,642 kilometers, equivalent to 75.287119 Astronomical Units. Light takes 10 hours, 26 minutes and 8.6324 seconds to travel from Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) and arrive to us.

11,262,792,642
75.287119
10 hours, 26 minutes and 8.6324 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) 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/1969 Y1 (Bennett) 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/1969 Y1 (Bennett) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) to Earth happens on Tue Jan 1 2013 at a distance of 64.293743 Astronomical Units, or 9,618,207,097 kilometers:

Tue Jan 1 2013
9,618,207,097
64.293743

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

Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett), 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/1969 Y1 (Bennett) as a function of time

Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) at epoch 11 April 1970 00:00 UTC (JD: 2440688.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99629328
Orbit inclination i 90.03981105°
Perihelion distance q 0.53762015 AU
80,426,829 km
Aphelion distance Q 289.54104044 AU
43,314,723,218 km
Semi-major axis a 145.03933030 AU
21,697,575,023 km
Orbital period period 1,746.7747 years
638,009.4414 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 1970-Mar-20 01:05:24
2,440,665.5454 JD
Next perihelion transit 3717-Jan-09 11:40
3,078,674.9868 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 354.14908861746°
Longitude of the ascending node node 224.65768316335°
Mean anomaly M 0.012952234215761°
Mean motion n 0.00056425°/day

Visualization of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) 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/1969 Y1 (Bennett)
View Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/1969 Y1 (Bennett) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 25 02h 31m 13s +29° 41’ 56” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 May 26 02h 31m 15s +29° 42’ 12” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 May 27 02h 31m 18s +29° 42’ 29” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 May 28 02h 31m 23s +29° 42’ 47” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 May 29 02h 31m 26s +29° 43’ 04” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 May 30 02h 31m 28s +29° 43’ 22” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 May 31 02h 31m 32s +29° 43’ 38” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 01 02h 31m 35s +29° 43’ 57” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 02 02h 31m 37s +29° 44’ 13” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 03 02h 31m 40s +29° 44’ 31” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 04 02h 31m 42s +29° 44’ 48” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 05 02h 31m 45s +29° 45’ 06” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 06 02h 31m 49s +29° 45’ 24” 36.44 Triangulum
2023 Jun 07 02h 31m 51s +29° 45’ 42” 36.44 Triangulum