Comet 71P/Clark
Comet 71P/Clark is currently in the constellation of Aries, at a distance of 703,229,060 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 71P/Clark from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 71P/Clark is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 71P/Clark 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 71P/Clark is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 71P/Clark?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 71P/Clark in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 71P/Clark Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 71P/Clark from Earth is currently 703,229,060 kilometers, equivalent to 4.700796 Astronomical Units. Light takes 39 minutes and 5.7197 seconds to travel from Comet 71P/Clark and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 71P/Clark 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 71P/Clark from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 71P/Clark to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 71P/Clark to Earth happens on Sun Jun 11 2017 at a distance of 0.589846 Astronomical Units, or 88,239,685 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 71P/Clark Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 71P/Clark, 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 71P/Clark Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 71P/Clark at epoch 21 January 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458140.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.49442254 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 9.44523607° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.58622783 AU 237,296,306 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.68868724 AU 701,417,630 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.13745753 AU 469,356,968 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.5574 years 2,029.8559 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2017-Jun-30 05:14:39 2,457,934.7185 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-Jan-20 01:47 2,459,964.5744 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 208.92387872794° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 59.445278678459° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 36.495858534825° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17735249°/day |
Visualization of Comet 71P/Clark Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 71P/Clark with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 71P/Clark 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 71P/Clark in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 71P/Clark 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 71P/Clark computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 71P/Clark in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 02h 52m 44s | +14° 30’ 19” | 22.42 | Aries |
| 2024 May 09 | 02h 53m 53s | +14° 36’ 11” | 22.43 | Aries |
| 2024 May 10 | 02h 55m 01s | +14° 42’ 03” | 22.43 | Aries |
| 2024 May 11 | 02h 56m 11s | +14° 47’ 53” | 22.44 | Aries |
| 2024 May 12 | 02h 57m 20s | +14° 53’ 39” | 22.45 | Aries |
| 2024 May 13 | 02h 58m 28s | +14° 59’ 22” | 22.46 | Aries |
| 2024 May 14 | 02h 59m 38s | +15° 05’ 04” | 22.46 | Aries |
| 2024 May 15 | 03h 00m 46s | +15° 10’ 44” | 22.47 | Aries |
| 2024 May 16 | 03h 01m 54s | +15° 16’ 21” | 22.48 | Aries |
| 2024 May 17 | 03h 03m 02s | +15° 21’ 55” | 22.49 | Aries |
| 2024 May 18 | 03h 04m 10s | +15° 27’ 26” | 22.49 | Aries |
| 2024 May 19 | 03h 05m 20s | +15° 32’ 56” | 22.50 | Aries |
| 2024 May 20 | 03h 06m 28s | +15° 38’ 22” | 22.51 | Aries |
| 2024 May 21 | 03h 07m 35s | +15° 43’ 48” | 22.51 | Aries |