Comet 40P/Vaisala
Comet 40P/Vaisala is currently in the constellation of Taurus, at a distance of 847,820,590 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 40P/Vaisala from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 40P/Vaisala is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 40P/Vaisala 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 40P/Vaisala is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 40P/Vaisala?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 40P/Vaisala in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 40P/Vaisala Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 40P/Vaisala from Earth is currently 847,820,590 kilometers, equivalent to 5.667331 Astronomical Units. Light takes 47 minutes and 8.0251 seconds to travel from Comet 40P/Vaisala and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 40P/Vaisala 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 40P/Vaisala from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 40P/Vaisala to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 40P/Vaisala to Earth happens on Mon Mar 24 2070 at a distance of 0.879460 Astronomical Units, or 131,565,362 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 40P/Vaisala Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 40P/Vaisala, 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 40P/Vaisala Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 40P/Vaisala at epoch 27 August 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457262.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63161520 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.49264282° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.81977116 AU 272,233,891 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
8.05995877 AU 1,205,752,672 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.93986496 AU 738,993,281 km |
| Orbital period | period |
10.9795 years 4,010.2463 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Nov-15 20:12:59 2,456,977.3424 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Nov-08 02:07 2,460,987.5886 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 47.288855021729° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 133.84016785708° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 25.598615967354° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.08977005°/day |
Visualization of Comet 40P/Vaisala Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 40P/Vaisala with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 40P/Vaisala 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 40P/Vaisala in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 40P/Vaisala 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 40P/Vaisala computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 40P/Vaisala in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 03h 36m 24s | +09° 54’ 38” | 24.23 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 09 | 03h 37m 18s | +09° 58’ 23” | 24.22 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 10 | 03h 38m 13s | +10° 02’ 07” | 24.22 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 11 | 03h 39m 07s | +10° 05’ 49” | 24.21 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 12 | 03h 40m 03s | +10° 09’ 30” | 24.20 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 13 | 03h 40m 59s | +10° 13’ 09” | 24.19 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 14 | 03h 41m 53s | +10° 16’ 46” | 24.19 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 15 | 03h 42m 50s | +10° 20’ 21” | 24.18 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 16 | 03h 43m 45s | +10° 23’ 56” | 24.17 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 17 | 03h 44m 40s | +10° 27’ 28” | 24.16 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 18 | 03h 45m 37s | +10° 30’ 57” | 24.15 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 19 | 03h 46m 32s | +10° 34’ 26” | 24.14 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 20 | 03h 47m 29s | +10° 37’ 51” | 24.14 | Taurus |
| 2024 May 21 | 03h 48m 25s | +10° 41’ 17” | 24.13 | Taurus |