Comet 123P/West-Hartley
Comet 123P/West-Hartley is currently in the constellation of Cetus, at a distance of 847,489,636 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 123P/West-Hartley from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 123P/West-Hartley is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 123P/West-Hartley is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 123P/West-Hartley Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 123P/West-Hartley is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 123P/West-Hartley?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 123P/West-Hartley in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 123P/West-Hartley Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 123P/West-Hartley from Earth is currently 847,489,636 kilometers, equivalent to 5.665118 Astronomical Units. Light takes 47 minutes and 6.9211 seconds to travel from Comet 123P/West-Hartley and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 123P/West-Hartley 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 123P/West-Hartley from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 123P/West-Hartley to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 123P/West-Hartley to Earth happens on Thu Feb 28 2019 at a distance of 1.199581 Astronomical Units, or 179,454,775 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 123P/West-Hartley Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 123P/West-Hartley, 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 123P/West-Hartley Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 123P/West-Hartley at epoch 18 September 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457284.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.44927022 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 15.35454558° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.12610687 AU 318,061,062 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.59494602 AU 836,992,012 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.86052645 AU 577,526,537 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.5854 years 2,770.5642 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2019-Feb-04 08:09:24 2,458,518.8399 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2026-Sep-05 21:41 2,461,289.4041 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 102.91844683507° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 46.527373044969° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 199.61304892378° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12993743°/day |
Visualization of Comet 123P/West-Hartley Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 123P/West-Hartley with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 123P/West-Hartley 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 123P/West-Hartley in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 123P/West-Hartley 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 123P/West-Hartley computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 123P/West-Hartley in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 00h 50m 12s | -04° 39’ 32” | 24.61 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 09 | 00h 50m 56s | -04° 35’ 05” | 24.60 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 10 | 00h 51m 38s | -04° 30’ 41” | 24.59 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 11 | 00h 52m 22s | -04° 26’ 20” | 24.58 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 12 | 00h 53m 04s | -04° 22’ 00” | 24.57 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 13 | 00h 53m 48s | -04° 17’ 44” | 24.57 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 14 | 00h 54m 30s | -04° 13’ 29” | 24.56 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 15 | 00h 55m 13s | -04° 09’ 19” | 24.55 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 16 | 00h 55m 55s | -04° 05’ 09” | 24.54 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 17 | 00h 56m 38s | -04° 01’ 05” | 24.53 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 18 | 00h 57m 19s | -03° 57’ 02” | 24.52 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 19 | 00h 58m 00s | -03° 53’ 00” | 24.52 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 20 | 00h 58m 41s | -03° 49’ 04” | 24.51 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 21 | 00h 59m 22s | -03° 45’ 08” | 24.50 | Cetus |