Comet 402P/LINEAR
Comet 402P/LINEAR is currently in the constellation of Coma, at a distance of 807,329,013 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 402P/LINEAR from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 402P/LINEAR is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 402P/LINEAR is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 402P/LINEAR is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 402P/LINEAR?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 402P/LINEAR in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 402P/LINEAR Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 402P/LINEAR from Earth is currently 807,329,013 kilometers, equivalent to 5.396661 Astronomical Units. Light takes 44 minutes and 52.9597 seconds to travel from Comet 402P/LINEAR and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 402P/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 402P/LINEAR from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 402P/LINEAR to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 402P/LINEAR to Earth happens on Tue Dec 28 2021 at a distance of 3.002067 Astronomical Units, or 449,102,869 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 402P/LINEAR Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 402P/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 402P/LINEAR Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 402P/LINEAR at epoch 11 February 2012 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455969.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.43846407 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 30.87505048° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.91983869 AU 586,399,523 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
10.04129345 AU 1,502,156,123 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6.98056607 AU 1,044,277,823 km |
| Orbital period | period |
18.4435 years 6,736.5012 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2003-Jun-30 15:13:36 2,452,821.1345 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-Dec-09 03:15 2,459,557.6356 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 326.91754682189° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 123.15762002378° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 168.2492984573° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.05344020°/day |
Visualization of Comet 402P/LINEAR Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 402P/LINEAR with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 402P/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 402P/LINEAR in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 402P/LINEAR 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 402P/LINEAR computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 402P/LINEAR in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 12h 33m 30s | +30° 15’ 15” | 20.90 | Coma |
| 2024 May 02 | 12h 33m 11s | +30° 14’ 18” | 20.91 | Coma |
| 2024 May 03 | 12h 32m 53s | +30° 13’ 14” | 20.92 | Coma |
| 2024 May 04 | 12h 32m 35s | +30° 12’ 03” | 20.93 | Coma |
| 2024 May 05 | 12h 32m 17s | +30° 10’ 45” | 20.94 | Coma |
| 2024 May 06 | 12h 32m 00s | +30° 09’ 20” | 20.95 | Coma |
| 2024 May 07 | 12h 31m 45s | +30° 07’ 49” | 20.96 | Coma |
| 2024 May 08 | 12h 31m 28s | +30° 06’ 10” | 20.97 | Coma |
| 2024 May 09 | 12h 31m 14s | +30° 04’ 24” | 20.98 | Coma |
| 2024 May 10 | 12h 30m 59s | +30° 02’ 33” | 20.99 | Coma |
| 2024 May 11 | 12h 30m 44s | +30° 00’ 34” | 21.00 | Coma |
| 2024 May 12 | 12h 30m 32s | +29° 58’ 30” | 21.00 | Coma |
| 2024 May 13 | 12h 30m 19s | +29° 56’ 18” | 21.01 | Coma |
| 2024 May 14 | 12h 30m 06s | +29° 54’ 02” | 21.02 | Coma |