Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is currently in the constellation of Pegasus, at a distance of 312,360,404 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 45° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup from Earth is currently 312,360,404 kilometers, equivalent to 2.088000 Astronomical Units. Light takes 17 minutes and 21.9222 seconds to travel from Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup to Earth happens on Thu Apr 15 2083 at a distance of 0.309239 Astronomical Units, or 46,261,563 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup, 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup at epoch 31 August 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455440.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63392367 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 22.40700475° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.11219828 AU 166,382,495 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.96412068 AU 742,621,885 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.03815948 AU 454,502,190 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.2957 years 1,934.2574 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2008-Mar-23 17:07:34 2,454,549.2136 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2013-Jul-09 23:18 2,456,483.4710 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 1.6357092890289° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 211.6412753625° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 165.8843838584° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18611793°/day |
Visualization of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 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 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 25 | 22h 04m 58s | +08° 52’ 41” | 19.70 | Pegasus |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 22h 06m 29s | +09° 07’ 05” | 19.71 | Pegasus |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 22h 07m 59s | +09° 21’ 24” | 19.72 | Pegasus |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 22h 09m 28s | +09° 35’ 39” | 19.73 | Pegasus |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 22h 10m 54s | +09° 49’ 49” | 19.74 | Pegasus |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 22h 12m 21s | +10° 03’ 53” | 19.75 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 01 | 22h 13m 46s | +10° 17’ 53” | 19.76 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 02 | 22h 15m 11s | +10° 31’ 49” | 19.77 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 03 | 22h 16m 32s | +10° 45’ 38” | 19.77 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 04 | 22h 17m 54s | +10° 59’ 22” | 19.78 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 05 | 22h 19m 14s | +11° 13’ 02” | 19.79 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 06 | 22h 20m 34s | +11° 26’ 36” | 19.80 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 07 | 22h 21m 51s | +11° 40’ 05” | 19.81 | Pegasus |
| 2024 May 08 | 22h 23m 08s | +11° 53’ 30” | 19.81 | Pegasus |