Comet 15P/Finlay
Comet 15P/Finlay is currently in the constellation of Leo, at a distance of 822,651,417 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 15P/Finlay from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 15P/Finlay is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South direction at an altitude of 46° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 15P/Finlay 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 15P/Finlay is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 15P/Finlay?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 15P/Finlay in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 15P/Finlay Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 15P/Finlay from Earth is currently 822,651,417 kilometers, equivalent to 5.499085 Astronomical Units. Light takes 45 minutes and 44.0698 seconds to travel from Comet 15P/Finlay and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 15P/Finlay 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 15P/Finlay from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 15P/Finlay to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 15P/Finlay to Earth happens on Sat Oct 23 2060 at a distance of 0.033494 Astronomical Units, or 5,010,576 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 15P/Finlay Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 15P/Finlay, 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 15P/Finlay Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 15P/Finlay at epoch 31 October 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457327.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.72018544 |
Orbit inclination | i | 6.80048064° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.97668698 AU 146,110,293 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
6.00427188 AU 898,226,290 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
3.49047943 AU 522,168,292 km |
Orbital period | period |
6.5213 years 2,381.9139 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Dec-27 01:44:35 2,457,018.5726 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2021-Jul-04 23:40 2,459,400.4865 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 347.62574901383° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 13.75387564025° |
Mean anomaly | M | 46.690962220838° |
Mean motion | n | 0.15113897°/day |
Visualization of Comet 15P/Finlay Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 15P/Finlay with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 15P/Finlay 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 15P/Finlay in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 15P/Finlay 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 15P/Finlay computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 15P/Finlay in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 May 08 | 11h 16m 09s | +07° 15’ 30” | 25.04 | Leo |
2024 May 09 | 11h 15m 57s | +07° 16’ 04” | 25.04 | Leo |
2024 May 10 | 11h 15m 46s | +07° 16’ 32” | 25.05 | Leo |
2024 May 11 | 11h 15m 35s | +07° 16’ 58” | 25.06 | Leo |
2024 May 12 | 11h 15m 25s | +07° 17’ 18” | 25.06 | Leo |
2024 May 13 | 11h 15m 15s | +07° 17’ 35” | 25.07 | Leo |
2024 May 14 | 11h 15m 07s | +07° 17’ 48” | 25.08 | Leo |
2024 May 15 | 11h 15m 00s | +07° 17’ 56” | 25.08 | Leo |
2024 May 16 | 11h 14m 53s | +07° 17’ 59” | 25.09 | Leo |
2024 May 17 | 11h 14m 45s | +07° 17’ 59” | 25.10 | Leo |
2024 May 18 | 11h 14m 39s | +07° 17’ 56” | 25.10 | Leo |
2024 May 19 | 11h 14m 35s | +07° 17’ 48” | 25.11 | Leo |
2024 May 20 | 11h 14m 30s | +07° 17’ 35” | 25.12 | Leo |
2024 May 21 | 11h 14m 26s | +07° 17’ 18” | 25.13 | Leo |