Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3)
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) is currently in the constellation of Ophiucus. The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) is 17h 24m 07s and the Declination is -21° 26’ 52” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) is 31.52 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- P/2016 J3 (STEREO) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, P/2016 J3 (STEREO) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also P/2016 J3 (STEREO) rise and set times.
- 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 information about Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) 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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
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Also check out Where is Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) from Earth is currently 684,108,379 kilometers, equivalent to 4.572982 Astronomical Units. Light takes 38 minutes and 1.9399 seconds to travel from Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) 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 P/2016 J3 (STEREO) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) to Earth
Between January 2014 and January 2100, the closest approach of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) to Earth happens on Thu Nov 17 2072 at a distance of 0.350467 Astronomical Units, or 52,429,080 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) is 31.52.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3), 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.
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) at epoch 13 January 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459228.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.81169143 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 23.38406036° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.52636420 AU 78,742,963 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.06407920 AU 757,575,466 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.79522170 AU 418,159,215 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4.6734 years 1,706.9579 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2021-Jan-25 09:16:09 2,459,239.8862 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Sep-28 08:15 2,460,946.8441 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 210.73647687976° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 257.78860525607° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 357.59862813385° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.21090151°/day |
Visualization of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) 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!
View Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet P/2016 J3 (STEREO = 2021 A3) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Dec 02 | 17h 15m 25s | -21° 28’ 41” | 31.37 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 03 | 17h 16m 37s | -21° 28’ 32” | 31.39 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 04 | 17h 17m 49s | -21° 28’ 22” | 31.41 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 05 | 17h 19m 00s | -21° 28’ 09” | 31.43 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 06 | 17h 20m 12s | -21° 27’ 55” | 31.45 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 07 | 17h 21m 24s | -21° 27’ 38” | 31.47 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 08 | 17h 22m 35s | -21° 27’ 19” | 31.49 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 09 | 17h 23m 45s | -21° 26’ 57” | 31.51 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 10 | 17h 24m 56s | -21° 26’ 35” | 31.53 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 11 | 17h 26m 07s | -21° 26’ 09” | 31.55 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 12 | 17h 27m 17s | -21° 25’ 41” | 31.57 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 13 | 17h 28m 27s | -21° 25’ 13” | 31.59 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 14 | 17h 29m 38s | -21° 24’ 41” | 31.61 | Ophiucus |
| 2021 Dec 15 | 17h 30m 47s | -21° 24’ 06” | 31.63 | Ophiucus |