Comet 81P/Wild
Comet 81P/Wild is currently in the constellation of Aquarius, at a distance of 609,015,598 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 81P/Wild from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 81P/Wild is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 10° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 81P/Wild?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 81P/Wild in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 81P/Wild Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 81P/Wild from Earth is currently 609,015,598 kilometers, equivalent to 4.071018 Astronomical Units. Light takes 33 minutes and 51.4574 seconds to travel from Comet 81P/Wild and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 81P/Wild to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 81P/Wild to Earth happens on Sat Apr 5 2042 at a distance of 0.654930 Astronomical Units, or 97,976,142 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 81P/Wild Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 81P/Wild, 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 81P/Wild Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 81P/Wild at epoch 04 October 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455474.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.53722867 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.23711179° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.59800863 AU 239,058,690 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.30824737 AU 794,102,506 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.45312800 AU 516,580,598 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.4169 years 2,343.7832 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2010-Feb-22 16:07:24 2,455,250.1718 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2016-Jul-24 10:55 2,457,593.9550 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 41.778564341258° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 136.09803830939° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 34.456321905334° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15359782°/day |
Visualization of Comet 81P/Wild Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 81P/Wild with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 81P/Wild 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 81P/Wild in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 81P/Wild 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 81P/Wild computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 81P/Wild in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 21h 57m 42s | -12° 16’ 13” | 20.30 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 02 | 21h 58m 17s | -12° 13’ 29” | 20.30 | Capricornus |
| 2024 May 03 | 21h 58m 50s | -12° 10’ 50” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 04 | 21h 59m 22s | -12° 08’ 13” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 05 | 21h 59m 54s | -12° 05’ 40” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 06 | 22h 00m 25s | -12° 03’ 11” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 07 | 22h 00m 56s | -12° 00’ 47” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 08 | 22h 01m 26s | -11° 58’ 27” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 09 | 22h 01m 54s | -11° 56’ 09” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 10 | 22h 02m 22s | -11° 53’ 57” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 11 | 22h 02m 49s | -11° 51’ 47” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 12 | 22h 03m 15s | -11° 49’ 44” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 13 | 22h 03m 42s | -11° 47’ 44” | 20.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 14 | 22h 04m 06s | -11° 45’ 47” | 20.30 | Aquarius |