Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is currently in the constellation of Centaurus. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is 13h 56m 10s and the Declination is -59° 19’ 43” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is 34.12 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) rise and set times.
- 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 information about Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) from Earth is currently 7,113,430,760 kilometers, equivalent to 47.550348 Astronomical Units. Light takes 6 hours, 35 minutes and 27.8510 seconds to travel from Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) to Earth
Between January 1900 and January 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) to Earth happens on Mon Mar 25 1996 at a distance of 0.102204 Astronomical Units, or 15,289,529 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is 34.12.
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/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), 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/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) at epoch 15 March 1996 00:00 UTC (JD: 2450158.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99989867 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 124.92266259° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.23022931 AU 34,441,814 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4,543.92865024 AU 679,762,052,051 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2,272.07943977 AU 339,898,246,933 km |
| Orbital period | period |
108,303.7400 years 39,557,942.4667 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1996-May-01 09:27:29 2,450,204.8941 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 110302-Apr-20 20:39 42,008,147.3607 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 130.17408350846° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 188.04522849854° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99957778715° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000910°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Jan 21 | 13h 56m 14s | -59° 13’ 14” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 22 | 13h 56m 13s | -59° 14’ 08” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 23 | 13h 56m 13s | -59° 15’ 02” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 24 | 13h 56m 13s | -59° 15’ 56” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 25 | 13h 56m 12s | -59° 16’ 50” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 26 | 13h 56m 12s | -59° 17’ 44” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 27 | 13h 56m 12s | -59° 18’ 37” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 28 | 13h 56m 11s | -59° 19’ 30” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 29 | 13h 56m 08s | -59° 20’ 21” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 30 | 13h 56m 08s | -59° 21’ 14” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Jan 31 | 13h 56m 06s | -59° 22’ 05” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Feb 01 | 13h 56m 04s | -59° 22’ 55” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Feb 02 | 13h 56m 03s | -59° 23’ 45” | 34.12 | Centaurus |
| 2021 Feb 03 | 13h 56m 00s | -59° 24’ 35” | 34.12 | Centaurus |