Comet 48P/Johnson
Comet 48P/Johnson is currently in the constellation of Libra, at a distance of 292,037,856 kilometers from Earth.
View interactive star map
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 48P/Johnson from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 48P/Johnson is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 48P/Johnson is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 48P/Johnson is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 48P/Johnson?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 48P/Johnson in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 48P/Johnson Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 48P/Johnson from Earth is currently 292,037,856 kilometers, equivalent to 1.952152 Astronomical Units. Light takes 16 minutes and 14.1334 seconds to travel from Comet 48P/Johnson and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 48P/Johnson to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 48P/Johnson to Earth happens on Wed Aug 30 2084 at a distance of 0.948857 Astronomical Units, or 141,946,997 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 48P/Johnson Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 48P/Johnson, 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 48P/Johnson Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 48P/Johnson at epoch 31 January 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455228.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.36781174 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 13.66068839° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.30241851 AU 344,436,907 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.98154627 AU 745,228,716 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.64198239 AU 544,832,812 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.9505 years 2,538.6638 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2011-Sep-28 23:16:27 2,455,833.4698 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Sep-10 15:12 2,458,372.1336 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 207.82662175901° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 117.28849572924° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 274.21112405513° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14180688°/day |
Visualization of Comet 48P/Johnson Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 48P/Johnson with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 48P/Johnson 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 48P/Johnson computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 48P/Johnson in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 16h 01m 36s | -05° 06’ 24” | 18.24 | Ophiucus |
| 2024 May 02 | 16h 00m 56s | -05° 03’ 35” | 18.22 | Libra |
| 2024 May 03 | 16h 00m 15s | -05° 00’ 51” | 18.20 | Libra |
| 2024 May 04 | 15h 59m 32s | -04° 58’ 11” | 18.18 | Libra |
| 2024 May 05 | 15h 58m 50s | -04° 55’ 36” | 18.16 | Libra |
| 2024 May 06 | 15h 58m 06s | -04° 53’ 04” | 18.15 | Libra |
| 2024 May 07 | 15h 57m 21s | -04° 50’ 38” | 18.13 | Libra |
| 2024 May 08 | 15h 56m 36s | -04° 48’ 15” | 18.11 | Libra |
| 2024 May 09 | 15h 55m 50s | -04° 45’ 59” | 18.09 | Libra |
| 2024 May 10 | 15h 55m 04s | -04° 43’ 48” | 18.07 | Libra |
| 2024 May 11 | 15h 54m 15s | -04° 41’ 42” | 18.06 | Libra |
| 2024 May 12 | 15h 53m 27s | -04° 39’ 42” | 18.04 | Libra |
| 2024 May 13 | 15h 52m 38s | -04° 37’ 47” | 18.02 | Libra |
| 2024 May 14 | 15h 51m 48s | -04° 36’ 01” | 18.01 | Libra |