Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO)

Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) is in the constellation of Triangulum, at a distance of 223,169,940.0 kilometers from Earth. The current Right Ascension is 01h 33m 27s and the Declination is +35° 22’ 37” (apparent coordinates). The estimated magnitude of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO), computed using JPL Horizons's data, is 24.51).

Finder Charts

The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.

The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.

Equatorial Coordinates

Apparent

J2000

Additional Information

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.

Rise and Set Times

The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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.

Distance from Earth

The distance of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from Earth is currently 223,169,940.0 kilometers, equivalent to 1.4917989070 Astronomical Units. Light takes 12m 24.415s to travel from comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) and arrive to us.

The following graph shows the distance of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.

The value of the distance of P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.

Closest Approach to Earth

In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) to Earth will happen on Thursday 17 November 2072 at a distance of 0.350462 Astronomical Units, or 52,428,374 kilometers:

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

Light Curve

The following chart shows the light curve of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO), i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.

15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) 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
Jun 29 2025	01h 07m 58s	+32° 21’ 28”	25.52	Pisces
Jun 30 2025	01h 11m 04s	+32° 44’ 53”	25.39	Pisces
Jul 01 2025	01h 14m 15s	+33° 08’ 26”	25.26	Pisces
Jul 02 2025	01h 17m 29s	+33° 32’ 04”	25.13	Pisces
Jul 03 2025	01h 20m 48s	+33° 55’ 49”	25.00	Andromeda
Jul 04 2025	01h 24m 10s	+34° 19’ 39”	24.87	Andromeda
Jul 05 2025	01h 27m 38s	+34° 43’ 34”	24.73	Andromeda
Jul 06 2025	01h 31m 11s	+35° 07’ 33”	24.60	Andromeda
Jul 07 2025	01h 34m 48s	+35° 31’ 35”	24.46	Triangulum
Jul 08 2025	01h 38m 31s	+35° 55’ 39”	24.32	Andromeda
Jul 09 2025	01h 42m 19s	+36° 19’ 44”	24.18	Andromeda
Jul 10 2025	01h 46m 14s	+36° 43’ 48”	24.04	Andromeda
Jul 11 2025	01h 50m 14s	+37° 07’ 51”	23.90	Andromeda
Jul 12 2025	01h 54m 20s	+37° 31’ 50”	23.75	Andromeda

Additional Resources on TheSkyLive

• Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
• Where is comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO)?: Key information on where to find comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) in the sky.
• Distance of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from Earth: Find out how far comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) is from Earth right now.
• How Bright is comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
• Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from your location.
• Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO)'s position in the sky.
• Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO)'s position using deep space imagery.
• Ephemeris: 15 days comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO)'s computed ephemeris.
• Orbital elements: Information about comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) orbital parameters.
• Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO) with respect to the major Solar System objects.