Comet 209P/LINEAR
Comet 209P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Auriga, at a distance of 245,560,658 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 209P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 209P/LINEAR is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the East-North-East direction at an altitude of 38° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 209P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 209P/LINEAR 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 209P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 209P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 209P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 209P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 209P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 245,560,658 kilometers, equivalent to 1.641472 Astronomical Units. Light takes 13 minutes and 39.1022 seconds to travel from Comet 209P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 209P/LINEAR 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 209P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 209P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 209P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Thu May 29 2014 at a distance of 0.055551 Astronomical Units, or 8,310,272 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 209P/LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 209P/LINEAR, 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 209P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 209P/LINEAR at epoch 06 March 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455993.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68894843 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 20.97698388° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.91351115 AU 136,659,324 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.96018470 AU 742,033,072 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.93684793 AU 439,346,198 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.0330 years 1,838.3179 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2014-Apr-25 10:42:11 2,456,772.9460 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2019-May-07 18:19 2,458,611.2639 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 152.46602699703° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 63.202912872645° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 207.3601600402° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.19583120°/day |
Visualization of Comet 209P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 209P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 209P/LINEAR 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 209P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 209P/LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 209P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 209P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 18 | 06h 03m 52s | +41° 23’ 59” | 20.00 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 06h 06m 18s | +41° 22’ 04” | 19.99 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 06h 08m 44s | +41° 19’ 59” | 19.98 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 06h 11m 13s | +41° 17’ 47” | 19.96 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 06h 13m 45s | +41° 15’ 24” | 19.95 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 06h 16m 18s | +41° 12’ 54” | 19.93 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 06h 18m 54s | +41° 10’ 12” | 19.92 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 06h 21m 30s | +41° 07’ 19” | 19.90 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 06h 24m 10s | +41° 04’ 17” | 19.89 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 06h 26m 52s | +41° 01’ 01” | 19.87 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 06h 29m 35s | +40° 57’ 34” | 19.86 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 06h 32m 20s | +40° 53’ 56” | 19.84 | Auriga |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 06h 35m 08s | +40° 50’ 03” | 19.83 | Auriga |
| 2024 May 01 | 06h 37m 57s | +40° 45’ 57” | 19.81 | Auriga |