Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Comet 46P/Wirtanen is currently in the constellation of Aries, at a distance of 312,698,655 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 46P/Wirtanen from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 46P/Wirtanen is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the West-South-West direction at an altitude of 37° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 46P/Wirtanen is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 46P/Wirtanen?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 46P/Wirtanen from Earth is currently 312,698,655 kilometers, equivalent to 2.090261 Astronomical Units. Light takes 17 minutes and 23.0504 seconds to travel from Comet 46P/Wirtanen and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 46P/Wirtanen to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 46P/Wirtanen to Earth happens on Mon Dec 17 2018 at a distance of 0.077509 Astronomical Units, or 11,595,162 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 46P/Wirtanen, 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 46P/Wirtanen Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 46P/Wirtanen at epoch 12 December 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458465.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.65875968 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.74759189° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.05535577 AU 157,878,976 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.13005504 AU 767,445,312 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.09270540 AU 462,662,144 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4390 years 1,986.5809 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Dec-12 22:20:55 2,458,465.4312 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2024-May-21 12:17 2,460,452.0121 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 356.34109457074° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 82.157638993407° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.012467187040873° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18121588°/day |
Visualization of Comet 46P/Wirtanen Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 46P/Wirtanen with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 46P/Wirtanen 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 46P/Wirtanen in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 46P/Wirtanen 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 46P/Wirtanen computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 46P/Wirtanen in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 16 | 02h 15m 28s | +09° 15’ 20” | 18.40 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 17 | 02h 19m 02s | +09° 39’ 42” | 18.39 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 18 | 02h 22m 38s | +10° 04’ 05” | 18.37 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 02h 26m 17s | +10° 28’ 23” | 18.36 | Cetus |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 02h 29m 56s | +10° 52’ 38” | 18.35 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 02h 33m 37s | +11° 16’ 50” | 18.34 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 02h 37m 18s | +11° 40’ 56” | 18.32 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 02h 41m 03s | +12° 04’ 58” | 18.31 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 02h 44m 48s | +12° 28’ 53” | 18.30 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 02h 48m 36s | +12° 52’ 41” | 18.29 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 02h 52m 24s | +13° 16’ 23” | 18.28 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 02h 56m 16s | +13° 39’ 56” | 18.27 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 03h 00m 07s | +14° 03’ 20” | 18.26 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 03h 04m 00s | +14° 26’ 35” | 18.25 | Aries |