Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan
Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 645,428,909 kilometers from Earth.
View interactive star map
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 60P/Tsuchinshan from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 60P/Tsuchinshan is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 60P/Tsuchinshan is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan from Earth is currently 645,428,909 kilometers, equivalent to 4.314426 Astronomical Units. Light takes 35 minutes and 52.9191 seconds to travel from Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan 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 60P/Tsuchinshan from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan to Earth happens on Sun Jan 21 2052 at a distance of 0.661771 Astronomical Units, or 98,999,555 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan, 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 60P/Tsuchinshan Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan at epoch 16 July 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457220.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53853669 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.60894919° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.61956677 AU 242,283,740 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.39969885 AU 807,783,452 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.50963281 AU 525,033,596 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5751 years 2,401.5462 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2012-May-13 21:20:31 2,456,061.3893 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Dec-10 10:27 2,458,462.9355 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 216.49366907536° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 267.66129277937° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 173.75466919847° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14990342°/day |
Visualization of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan 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 60P/Tsuchinshan in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 60P/Tsuchinshan in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 00h 22m 50s | +05° 44’ 25” | 26.78 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 09 | 00h 23m 50s | +05° 51’ 15” | 26.76 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 10 | 00h 24m 51s | +05° 58’ 05” | 26.74 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 11 | 00h 25m 50s | +06° 04’ 55” | 26.72 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 12 | 00h 26m 50s | +06° 11’ 44” | 26.70 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 13 | 00h 27m 51s | +06° 18’ 32” | 26.68 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 14 | 00h 28m 50s | +06° 25’ 18” | 26.65 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 15 | 00h 29m 49s | +06° 32’ 04” | 26.63 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 16 | 00h 30m 48s | +06° 38’ 49” | 26.61 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 17 | 00h 31m 47s | +06° 45’ 34” | 26.59 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 18 | 00h 32m 47s | +06° 52’ 18” | 26.57 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 19 | 00h 33m 46s | +06° 58’ 59” | 26.55 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 20 | 00h 34m 44s | +07° 05’ 40” | 26.53 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 21 | 00h 35m 41s | +07° 12’ 20” | 26.50 | Pisces |