Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet)
Comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) is in the constellation of Aquarius, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) 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 C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) 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 C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) 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 C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) 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.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) 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, 2013 and December 30, 2100, the closest approach of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) to Earth happened on Monday 12 August 2013 at a distance of 88.311242 Astronomical Units, or 13,211,173,795 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) at epoch UTC (JD: 2432538.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99984292 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 138.51137649° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.11000471 AU 16,456,470 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
1,400.47396976 AU 209,507,924,267 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
700.29198723 AU 104,762,190,368 km |
| Orbital period | period |
18,532.1983 years 6,768,885.4193 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | December 2, 1947 2,432,522.0865 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | June 30, 20480 9,201,407.5058 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 196.18205692517° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 337.31152850504° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.00087294596831845° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00005318°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 2025 | 21h 51m 09s | -04° 07’ 50” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 06 2025 | 21h 51m 08s | -04° 07’ 56” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 07 2025 | 21h 51m 06s | -04° 08’ 02” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 08 2025 | 21h 51m 04s | -04° 08’ 07” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 09 2025 | 21h 51m 03s | -04° 08’ 13” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 10 2025 | 21h 51m 01s | -04° 08’ 18” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 11 2025 | 21h 50m 59s | -04° 08’ 25” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 12 2025 | 21h 50m 57s | -04° 08’ 31” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 13 2025 | 21h 50m 55s | -04° 08’ 37” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 14 2025 | 21h 50m 54s | -04° 08’ 44” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 15 2025 | 21h 50m 52s | -04° 08’ 51” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 16 2025 | 21h 50m 50s | -04° 08’ 57” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 17 2025 | 21h 50m 48s | -04° 09’ 05” | N.A. | Aquarius |
| Jul 18 2025 | 21h 50m 46s | -04° 09’ 12” | N.A. | Aquarius |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet)?: Key information on where to find comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) in the sky.
- Distance of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) from Earth: Find out how far comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet)'s position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet C/1947 X1-A (Southern Comet) with respect to the major Solar System objects.