Comet 287P/Christensen
Comet 287P/Christensen is currently in the constellation of Cetus, at a distance of 644,874,152 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 287P/Christensen from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 287P/Christensen is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 287P/Christensen is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 287P/Christensen 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 287P/Christensen is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 287P/Christensen?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 287P/Christensen in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 287P/Christensen Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 287P/Christensen from Earth is currently 644,874,152 kilometers, equivalent to 4.310717 Astronomical Units. Light takes 35 minutes and 51.0686 seconds to travel from Comet 287P/Christensen and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 287P/Christensen 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 287P/Christensen from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 287P/Christensen to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 287P/Christensen to Earth happens on Thu Aug 31 2023 at a distance of 2.046697 Astronomical Units, or 306,181,458 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 287P/Christensen Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 287P/Christensen, 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 287P/Christensen Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 287P/Christensen at epoch 10 July 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456484.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.26936948 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 16.29835487° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.05311997 AU 456,740,248 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.30437366 AU 793,523,006 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.17874682 AU 625,131,627 km |
| Orbital period | period |
8.5423 years 3,120.0928 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Dec-28 17:13:00 2,457,020.2174 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Jul-14 19:26 2,460,140.3102 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 189.14864423695° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 139.06888892645° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 298.18829728155° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.11538118°/day |
Visualization of Comet 287P/Christensen Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 287P/Christensen with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 287P/Christensen 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 287P/Christensen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 287P/Christensen 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 287P/Christensen computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 287P/Christensen in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 02h 15m 01s | +00° 58’ 09” | 20.66 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 09 | 02h 16m 22s | +01° 03’ 43” | 20.66 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 10 | 02h 17m 41s | +01° 09’ 15” | 20.67 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 11 | 02h 19m 01s | +01° 14’ 43” | 20.67 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 12 | 02h 20m 21s | +01° 20’ 07” | 20.67 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 13 | 02h 21m 42s | +01° 25’ 27” | 20.68 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 14 | 02h 23m 02s | +01° 30’ 43” | 20.68 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 15 | 02h 24m 20s | +01° 35’ 57” | 20.69 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 16 | 02h 25m 41s | +01° 41’ 04” | 20.69 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 17 | 02h 27m 00s | +01° 46’ 09” | 20.70 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 18 | 02h 28m 18s | +01° 51’ 11” | 20.70 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 19 | 02h 29m 38s | +01° 56’ 08” | 20.70 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 20 | 02h 30m 56s | +02° 01’ 00” | 20.71 | Cetus |
| 2024 May 21 | 02h 32m 16s | +02° 05’ 49” | 20.71 | Cetus |