❤ Support this Project
Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke Position Calculator
Compute the position of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke for any date and time between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke
Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke is in the constellation of
Orion,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke is a short-period comet with an orbital period of 6.3 years. It was first discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on 12 June 1819 and rediscovered later by Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke on 9 March 1858. The comet has a perihelion distance of about 1.2 astronomical units and an aphelion distance of about 5.6 astronomical units.
Celestial 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
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 7P/Pons-Winnecke is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 7P/Pons-Winnecke 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke 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 7P/Pons-Winnecke from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke to Earth happens on Mon Jun 27 1927 at a distance of 0.039404 Astronomical Units, or 5,894,775 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke at epoch 24 April 2015 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457137.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63757124 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 22.33463826° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.23919869 AU 185,381,486 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.59910354 AU 837,613,969 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.41915111 AU 511,497,727 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.3225 years 2,309.2761 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2015-Jan-30 12:39:34 2,457,053.0275 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2021-May-27 19:17 2,459,362.3036 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 172.50553360981° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 93.415610189417° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 13.168673787644° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15589301°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Jul 22 | 06h 07m 26s | +21° 00’ 53” | 23.41 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 23 | 06h 08m 10s | +21° 01’ 27” | 23.41 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 24 | 06h 08m 52s | +21° 02’ 01” | 23.41 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 25 | 06h 09m 35s | +21° 02’ 33” | 23.40 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 26 | 06h 10m 18s | +21° 03’ 06” | 23.40 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 27 | 06h 11m 00s | +21° 03’ 36” | 23.40 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 28 | 06h 11m 42s | +21° 04’ 07” | 23.40 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 29 | 06h 12m 24s | +21° 04’ 36” | 23.39 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 30 | 06h 13m 05s | +21° 05’ 05” | 23.39 | Orion |
| 2024 Jul 31 | 06h 13m 47s | +21° 05’ 32” | 23.39 | Orion |
| 2024 Aug 01 | 06h 14m 28s | +21° 06’ 00” | 23.38 | Orion |
| 2024 Aug 02 | 06h 15m 09s | +21° 06’ 26” | 23.38 | Orion |
| 2024 Aug 03 | 06h 15m 49s | +21° 06’ 52” | 23.38 | Orion |
| 2024 Aug 04 | 06h 16m 29s | +21° 07’ 17” | 23.37 | Orion |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke from Earth?)
- When does Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.