Comet 260P/McNaught
Comet 260P/McNaught is currently in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of 662,126,621 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 260P/McNaught from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 260P/McNaught is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 13° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 260P/McNaught is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 260P/McNaught?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 260P/McNaught in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 260P/McNaught Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 260P/McNaught from Earth is currently 662,126,621 kilometers, equivalent to 4.426043 Astronomical Units. Light takes 36 minutes and 48.6167 seconds to travel from Comet 260P/McNaught and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 260P/McNaught to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 260P/McNaught to Earth happens on Fri Oct 4 2019 at a distance of 0.562196 Astronomical Units, or 84,103,294 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 260P/McNaught Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 260P/McNaught, 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 260P/McNaught Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 260P/McNaught at epoch 12 October 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456943.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.59426383 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 15.76861437° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.49146421 AU 223,119,870 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.86042758 AU 876,707,490 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.67594590 AU 549,913,680 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.0479 years 2,574.2581 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-Sep-12 12:08:17 2,456,183.0058 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2019-Sep-30 18:19 2,458,757.2639 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 15.578161656026° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 351.86319273167° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 106.35216626541° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.13984612°/day |
Visualization of Comet 260P/McNaught Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 260P/McNaught with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 260P/McNaught 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 260P/McNaught in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 260P/McNaught 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 260P/McNaught computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 260P/McNaught in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 13h 06m 15s | -19° 23’ 57” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 09 | 13h 05m 43s | -19° 20’ 26” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 10 | 13h 05m 09s | -19° 16’ 55” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 11 | 13h 04m 37s | -19° 13’ 26” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 12 | 13h 04m 06s | -19° 09’ 56” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 13 | 13h 03m 36s | -19° 06’ 28” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 14 | 13h 03m 06s | -19° 03’ 00” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 15 | 13h 02m 35s | -18° 59’ 31” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 16 | 13h 02m 07s | -18° 56’ 05” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 17 | 13h 01m 37s | -18° 52’ 41” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 18 | 13h 01m 10s | -18° 49’ 17” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 19 | 13h 00m 43s | -18° 45’ 55” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 20 | 13h 00m 16s | -18° 42’ 34” | 25.33 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 21 | 12h 59m 52s | -18° 39’ 15” | 25.33 | Virgo |