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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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Comets » 

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1)

Altitude: -20.4°   Azimuth: 276.3°   Direction: West

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) is currently in the constellation of Canis Majoris, at a distance of 11,326,569,007 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of C/1965 S1 (Ikeya-Seki) in Canis Majoris on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) in Canis Majoris on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) is 06h 43m 28s and the Declination is -12° 02’ 59” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt).

06h 43m 28s
-12° 02’ 59”
Canis Majoris
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
-

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 Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 102.0°
Max altitude: 26.5°
Azimuth: 258.0°

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 Resources

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/1965 S1 (Ikeya-Seki)
Map showing Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) in Canis Majoris on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/1965 S1 (Ikeya-Seki)
RA: 06h 43m 28s
Dec: -12° 02’ 59”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) from Earth is currently 11,326,569,007 kilometers, equivalent to 75.713437 Astronomical Units. Light takes 10 hours, 29 minutes and 41.3674 seconds to travel from Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) and arrive to us.

11,326,569,007
75.713437
10 hours, 29 minutes and 41.3674 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) 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 Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) 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/1965 S1 (Ikeya-Seki) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) to Earth happens on Tue Jan 1 2013 at a distance of 66.107439 Astronomical Units, or 9,889,532,105 kilometers:

Tue Jan 1 2013
9,889,532,105
66.107439

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

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) Brightness and Light Curve

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) at epoch 01 January 1970 00:00 UTC (JD: 2439040.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99991500
Orbit inclination i 141.86420000°
Perihelion distance q 0.00778600 AU
1,164,769 km
Aphelion distance Q 183.19221400 AU
27,405,165,198 km
Semi-major axis a 91.60000000 AU
13,703,164,984 km
Orbital period period 880.0000 years
321,420.0000 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 1965-Oct-21 04:24:31
2,439,054.6837 JD
Next perihelion transit 2845-Oct-27 04:24
2,760,474.6837 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 69.0486°
Longitude of the ascending node node 346.9947°
Mean anomaly M -0.015946°
Mean motion n 0.00112420°/day

Visualization of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) 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 Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1)
View Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet Ikeya-Seki (C/1965 S1) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 06h 43m 35s -12° 06’ 10” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 13 06h 43m 33s -12° 05’ 43” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 14 06h 43m 32s -12° 05’ 16” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 15 06h 43m 32s -12° 04’ 49” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 16 06h 43m 32s -12° 04’ 23” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 17 06h 43m 31s -12° 03’ 56” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 18 06h 43m 29s -12° 03’ 29” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 19 06h 43m 28s -12° 03’ 02” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 20 06h 43m 28s -12° 02’ 34” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 21 06h 43m 27s -12° 02’ 07” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 22 06h 43m 27s -12° 01’ 40” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 23 06h 43m 27s -12° 01’ 13” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 24 06h 43m 27s -12° 00’ 46” N.A. Canis Majoris
2024 Mar 25 06h 43m 26s -12° 00’ 19” N.A. Canis Majoris