Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)
Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) is in the constellation of
Orion,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 6478 Gault is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 6478 Gault is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) 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 6478 Gault from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) to Earth happens on Fri May 27 2072 at a distance of 0.989870 Astronomical Units, or 148,082,517 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1), 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.19300949 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 22.81260612° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.86081372 AU 278,373,771 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.75092259 AU 411,532,163 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.30586816 AU 344,952,967 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.5015 years 1,278.9399 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Jul-04 01:53:00 2,460,129.5785 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-Jan-03 00:26 2,461,408.5184 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 83.150081837605° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 183.52776004818° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 323.66658562093° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.28148313°/day |
View Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 13 | 05h 33m 32s | +05° 39’ 21” | 20.09 | Orion |
| 2025 May 14 | 05h 35m 04s | +05° 42’ 33” | 20.09 | Orion |
| 2025 May 15 | 05h 36m 37s | +05° 45’ 40” | 20.09 | Orion |
| 2025 May 16 | 05h 38m 10s | +05° 48’ 42” | 20.09 | Orion |
| 2025 May 17 | 05h 39m 43s | +05° 51’ 39” | 20.08 | Orion |
| 2025 May 18 | 05h 41m 17s | +05° 54’ 30” | 20.08 | Orion |
| 2025 May 19 | 05h 42m 50s | +05° 57’ 15” | 20.08 | Orion |
| 2025 May 20 | 05h 44m 24s | +05° 59’ 56” | 20.08 | Orion |
| 2025 May 21 | 05h 45m 58s | +06° 02’ 30” | 20.07 | Orion |
| 2025 May 22 | 05h 47m 33s | +06° 04’ 59” | 20.07 | Orion |
| 2025 May 23 | 05h 49m 07s | +06° 07’ 22” | 20.07 | Orion |
| 2025 May 24 | 05h 50m 42s | +06° 09’ 40” | 20.07 | Orion |
| 2025 May 25 | 05h 52m 17s | +06° 11’ 52” | 20.06 | Orion |
| 2025 May 26 | 05h 53m 52s | +06° 13’ 59” | 20.06 | Orion |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com
- Where is Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)?: Key information on locating Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)'s rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 6478 Gault (1988 JC1) with respect to the major Solar System objects.