Comet 217P/LINEAR
Comet 217P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Ophiucus, at a distance of 430,632,022 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 217P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 217P/LINEAR is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 217P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 217P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 217P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 217P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 217P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 430,632,022 kilometers, equivalent to 2.878597 Astronomical Units. Light takes 23 minutes and 56.4338 seconds to travel from Comet 217P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 217P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 217P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Tue Sep 8 2048 at a distance of 0.396240 Astronomical Units, or 59,276,666 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 217P/LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 217P/LINEAR at epoch 11 August 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455420.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.68961463 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.88031481° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.22424331 AU 183,144,193 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.66429408 AU 996,964,205 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.94426869 AU 590,054,199 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.8335 years 2,861.1997 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2009-Sep-08 23:39:54 2,455,083.4861 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2017-Jul-10 04:27 2,457,944.6857 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 246.76489240242° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 125.62084153525° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 42.403549522719° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.12582135°/day |
Visualization of Comet 217P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 217P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 217P/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 217P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 217P/LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 217P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 217P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 16h 32m 27s | -06° 26’ 18” | 20.18 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 02 | 16h 31m 51s | -06° 22’ 59” | 20.17 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 03 | 16h 31m 14s | -06° 19’ 41” | 20.15 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 04 | 16h 30m 34s | -06° 16’ 24” | 20.14 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 05 | 16h 29m 56s | -06° 13’ 09” | 20.13 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 06 | 16h 29m 16s | -06° 09’ 57” | 20.11 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 07 | 16h 28m 33s | -06° 06’ 47” | 20.10 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 08 | 16h 27m 51s | -06° 03’ 38” | 20.09 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 09 | 16h 27m 09s | -06° 00’ 33” | 20.07 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 10 | 16h 26m 26s | -05° 57’ 29” | 20.06 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 11 | 16h 25m 41s | -05° 54’ 29” | 20.05 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 12 | 16h 24m 56s | -05° 51’ 32” | 20.04 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 13 | 16h 24m 10s | -05° 48’ 37” | 20.02 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 14 | 16h 23m 24s | -05° 45’ 46” | 20.01 | Ophiucus |