Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet 261P/Larson in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet 261P/Larson
Comet 261P/Larson is in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 261P/Larson in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet 261P/Larson against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet 261P/Larson from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of comet 261P/Larson from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet 261P/Larson from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 261P/Larson from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet 261P/Larson to Earth will happen on Saturday 1 September 2091 at a distance of 1.072410 Astronomical Units, or 160,430,263 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet 261P/Larson, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet 261P/Larson at epoch February, 09 2014 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456698.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.39187691 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 6.33654627° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.18415099 AU 326,744,338 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.99910192 AU 747,855,004 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.59162646 AU 537,299,671 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.8068 years 2,486.1949 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | September 30, 2012 2,456,200.6013 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | July 22, 2019 2,458,686.7962 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 58.97020034636° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 298.42573157465° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 72.095526584882° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14479959°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet 261P/Larson relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet 261P/Larson computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10 2025 | 20h 19m 49s | -18° 35’ 13” | 18.45 | Capricornus |
| Jul 11 2025 | 20h 19m 05s | -18° 34’ 10” | 18.42 | Capricornus |
| Jul 12 2025 | 20h 18m 21s | -18° 33’ 08” | 18.39 | Capricornus |
| Jul 13 2025 | 20h 17m 36s | -18° 32’ 08” | 18.36 | Capricornus |
| Jul 14 2025 | 20h 16m 50s | -18° 31’ 09” | 18.33 | Capricornus |
| Jul 15 2025 | 20h 16m 02s | -18° 30’ 12” | 18.31 | Capricornus |
| Jul 16 2025 | 20h 15m 15s | -18° 29’ 14” | 18.28 | Capricornus |
| Jul 17 2025 | 20h 14m 26s | -18° 28’ 19” | 18.25 | Capricornus |
| Jul 18 2025 | 20h 13m 37s | -18° 27’ 24” | 18.23 | Capricornus |
| Jul 19 2025 | 20h 12m 47s | -18° 26’ 30” | 18.20 | Capricornus |
| Jul 20 2025 | 20h 11m 56s | -18° 25’ 36” | 18.17 | Capricornus |
| Jul 21 2025 | 20h 11m 05s | -18° 24’ 43” | 18.15 | Capricornus |
| Jul 22 2025 | 20h 10m 14s | -18° 23’ 51” | 18.12 | Capricornus |
| Jul 23 2025 | 20h 09m 22s | -18° 22’ 58” | 18.10 | Capricornus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 261P/Larson: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet 261P/Larson?: Key information on where to find comet 261P/Larson in the sky.
- Distance of comet 261P/Larson from Earth: Find out how far comet 261P/Larson is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet 261P/Larson?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet 261P/Larson from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet 261P/Larson's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet 261P/Larson's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet 261P/Larson's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet 261P/Larson orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet 261P/Larson with respect to the major Solar System objects.