Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR
Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of 683,993,815 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 156P/Russell-LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 156P/Russell-LINEAR is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 156P/Russell-LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 156P/Russell-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 156P/Russell-LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR from Earth is currently 683,993,815 kilometers, equivalent to 4.572216 Astronomical Units. Light takes 38 minutes and 1.5578 seconds to travel from Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 156P/Russell-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 156P/Russell-LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR to Earth happens on Thu Oct 29 2099 at a distance of 0.380005 Astronomical Units, or 56,847,889 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 156P/Russell-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 156P/Russell-LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR at epoch 27 March 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458936.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.61490849 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 17.26328933° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.33312151 AU 199,432,140 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.59053935 AU 836,332,785 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.46183043 AU 517,882,463 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.4412 years 2,352.6489 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-Nov-17 19:55:55 2,459,171.3305 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-Apr-28 11:30 2,461,523.9794 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 0.381717897806° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 35.394354727285° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 324.06646888291° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15301901°/day |
Visualization of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 156P/Russell-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 156P/Russell-LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 14h 25m 06s | -16° 02’ 50” | 22.53 | Libra |
| 2024 May 02 | 14h 24m 28s | -16° 00’ 42” | 22.53 | Libra |
| 2024 May 03 | 14h 23m 48s | -15° 58’ 35” | 22.53 | Libra |
| 2024 May 04 | 14h 23m 09s | -15° 56’ 26” | 22.53 | Libra |
| 2024 May 05 | 14h 22m 31s | -15° 54’ 15” | 22.53 | Libra |
| 2024 May 06 | 14h 21m 51s | -15° 52’ 06” | 22.53 | Libra |
| 2024 May 07 | 14h 21m 14s | -15° 49’ 56” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 08 | 14h 20m 35s | -15° 47’ 47” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 09 | 14h 19m 56s | -15° 45’ 37” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 10 | 14h 19m 18s | -15° 43’ 27” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 11 | 14h 18m 41s | -15° 41’ 17” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 12 | 14h 18m 03s | -15° 39’ 08” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 13 | 14h 17m 26s | -15° 37’ 00” | 22.53 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 14 | 14h 16m 49s | -15° 34’ 51” | 22.53 | Virgo |