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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:48  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)

Altitude: 33.5°   Azimuth: 70.0°   Direction: East-North-East

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is currently in the constellation of Lynx.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is 07h 31m 45s and the Declination is +37° 33’ 09” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt).

07h 31m 45s
+37° 33’ 09”
Lynx
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: 52.4°
Max altitude: 76.1°
Azimuth: 307.5°
  • C/2012 S1 (ISON) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the East-North-East direction at an altitude of 34° 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.

Available Resources

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

Below we provide Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 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/2012 S1 (ISON) in Lynx on December,06 2023
Map showing Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in Lynx on December, 06 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2012 S1 (ISON)
Map showing Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in Lynx on December, 06 2023
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 31m 45s
Dec: +37° 33’ 09”
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 3,974,621,908 kilometers, equivalent to 26.568706 Astronomical Units. Light takes 3 hours, 40 minutes and 57.9116 seconds to travel from Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) and arrive to us.

3,974,621,908
26.568706
3 hours, 40 minutes and 57.9116 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
2023 Nov 29 07h 32m 52s +37° 28’ 06” N.A. Lynx
2023 Nov 30 07h 32m 44s +37° 28’ 45” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 01 07h 32m 35s +37° 29’ 25” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 02 07h 32m 26s +37° 30’ 03” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 03 07h 32m 18s +37° 30’ 42” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 04 07h 32m 09s +37° 31’ 21” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 05 07h 32m 02s +37° 31’ 59” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 06 07h 31m 53s +37° 32’ 36” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 07 07h 31m 44s +37° 33’ 14” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 08 07h 31m 33s +37° 33’ 51” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 09 07h 31m 24s +37° 34’ 27” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 10 07h 31m 15s +37° 35’ 03” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 11 07h 31m 05s +37° 35’ 39” N.A. Lynx
2023 Dec 12 07h 30m 56s +37° 36’ 15” N.A. Lynx