Comet 294P/LINEAR
Comet 294P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Triangulum, at a distance of 736,598,798 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 294P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 294P/LINEAR is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 66° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 294P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 294P/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 294P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 294P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 294P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 294P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 294P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 736,598,798 kilometers, equivalent to 4.923859 Astronomical Units. Light takes 40 minutes and 57.0291 seconds to travel from Comet 294P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 294P/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 294P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 294P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 294P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Wed Mar 4 2048 at a distance of 0.344815 Astronomical Units, or 51,583,573 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 294P/LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 294P/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 294P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 294P/LINEAR at epoch 13 September 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455453.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.59860596 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 18.54176445° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.28220736 AU 191,815,492 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.10656389 AU 763,931,087 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.19438563 AU 477,873,289 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.7094 years 2,085.3523 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2008-Jun-16 14:43:49 2,454,634.1138 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2014-Mar-02 23:11 2,456,719.4661 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 234.16864652874° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 314.33829985946° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 141.45285574588° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17263270°/day |
Visualization of Comet 294P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 294P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 294P/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 294P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 294P/LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 294P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 294P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 11 | 02h 01m 55s | +27° 41’ 57” | 24.08 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 12 | 02h 03m 02s | +27° 46’ 27” | 24.08 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 13 | 02h 04m 10s | +27° 51’ 00” | 24.08 | Aries |
| 2024 Apr 14 | 02h 05m 17s | +27° 55’ 32” | 24.07 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 15 | 02h 06m 25s | +28° 00’ 09” | 24.07 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 16 | 02h 07m 33s | +28° 04’ 45” | 24.07 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 17 | 02h 08m 42s | +28° 09’ 24” | 24.07 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 18 | 02h 09m 51s | +28° 14’ 04” | 24.06 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 02h 10m 59s | +28° 18’ 46” | 24.06 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 02h 12m 09s | +28° 23’ 30” | 24.06 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 02h 13m 18s | +28° 28’ 14” | 24.06 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 02h 14m 26s | +28° 33’ 00” | 24.05 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 02h 15m 37s | +28° 37’ 47” | 24.05 | Triangulum |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 02h 16m 46s | +28° 42’ 36” | 24.05 | Triangulum |