Comet 116P/Wild
Comet 116P/Wild is currently in the constellation of Aquarius, at a distance of 651,254,864 kilometers from Earth.
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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 116P/Wild from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 116P/Wild is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 116P/Wild is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 116P/Wild is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 116P/Wild?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 116P/Wild in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 116P/Wild Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 116P/Wild from Earth is currently 651,254,864 kilometers, equivalent to 4.353370 Astronomical Units. Light takes 36 minutes and 12.3524 seconds to travel from Comet 116P/Wild and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 116P/Wild 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 116P/Wild from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 116P/Wild to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 116P/Wild to Earth happens on Sun Apr 15 2085 at a distance of 0.522534 Astronomical Units, or 78,170,026 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 116P/Wild Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 116P/Wild, 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 116P/Wild Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 116P/Wild at epoch 28 January 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457416.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.37240498 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.60790395° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.18709462 AU 327,184,699 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.78266945 AU 715,477,168 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.48488204 AU 521,330,933 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5056 years 2,376.1866 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2016-Jan-11 12:58:01 2,457,399.0403 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2022-Jul-14 17:26 2,459,775.2269 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 173.31462537495° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 20.992247982298° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 2.6452016617231° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15150325°/day |
Visualization of Comet 116P/Wild Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 116P/Wild with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 116P/Wild 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 116P/Wild in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 116P/Wild 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 116P/Wild computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 116P/Wild in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 23h 02m 17s | -08° 57’ 14” | 21.32 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 09 | 23h 02m 57s | -08° 53’ 17” | 21.32 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 10 | 23h 03m 38s | -08° 49’ 23” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 11 | 23h 04m 18s | -08° 45’ 33” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 12 | 23h 04m 56s | -08° 41’ 48” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 13 | 23h 05m 35s | -08° 38’ 05” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 14 | 23h 06m 14s | -08° 34’ 27” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 15 | 23h 06m 51s | -08° 30’ 51” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 16 | 23h 07m 27s | -08° 27’ 20” | 21.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 17 | 23h 08m 04s | -08° 23’ 52” | 21.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 18 | 23h 08m 39s | -08° 20’ 27” | 21.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 19 | 23h 09m 15s | -08° 17’ 08” | 21.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 20 | 23h 09m 50s | -08° 13’ 51” | 21.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 21 | 23h 10m 23s | -08° 10’ 40” | 21.30 | Aquarius |