We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate Now! Help keep this site free and ads-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)

Altitude: 6.4°   Azimuth: 327.9°   Direction: North-North-West

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is currently in the constellation of Auriga, at a distance of 4,128,939,204 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of C/2012 S1 (ISON) in Auriga on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in Auriga on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is 07h 15m 57s and the Declination is +37° 42’ 02” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt).

07h 15m 57s
+37° 42’ 02”
Auriga
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 C/2012 S1 (ISON) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 52.3°
Max altitude: 76.2°
Azimuth: 307.7°
  • C/2012 S1 (ISON) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the North-North-West direction at an altitude of 6° above the horizon.
  • 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 Resources

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/2012 S1 (ISON)
Map showing Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in Auriga on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2012 S1 (ISON)
RA: 07h 15m 57s
Dec: +37° 42’ 02”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) from Earth is currently 4,128,939,204 kilometers, equivalent to 27.600254 Astronomical Units. Light takes 3 hours, 49 minutes and 32.6587 seconds to travel from Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) and arrive to us.

4,128,939,204
27.600254
3 hours, 49 minutes and 32.6587 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 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/2012 S1 (ISON) 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/2012 S1 (ISON) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) to Earth happens on Fri Dec 27 2013 at a distance of 0.430624 Astronomical Units, or 64,420,498 kilometers:

Fri Dec 27 2013
64,420,498
0.430624

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

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Brightness and Light Curve

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) at epoch 30 April 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456413.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00000510
Orbit inclination i 62.16289398°
Perihelion distance q 0.01246671 AU
1,864,994 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2013-Nov-28 18:20:55
2,456,625.2645 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 345.54119894206°
Longitude of the ascending node node 295.68654180456°
Mean anomaly M -0.00172478090192°
Mean motion n 0.00000814°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 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/2012 S1 (ISON)
View Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 07h 16m 27s +37° 45’ 11” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 13 07h 16m 23s +37° 44’ 45” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 14 07h 16m 18s +37° 44’ 21” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 15 07h 16m 14s +37° 43’ 54” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 16 07h 16m 09s +37° 43’ 28” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 17 07h 16m 05s +37° 43’ 01” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 18 07h 16m 01s +37° 42’ 34” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 19 07h 15m 57s +37° 42’ 07” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 20 07h 15m 55s +37° 41’ 39” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 21 07h 15m 51s +37° 41’ 11” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 22 07h 15m 47s +37° 40’ 41” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 23 07h 15m 45s +37° 40’ 13” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 24 07h 15m 42s +37° 39’ 43” N.A. Auriga
2024 Mar 25 07h 15m 39s +37° 39’ 14” N.A. Auriga