Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is currently in the constellation of Auriga, at a distance of 4,248,027,158 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 C/2012 S1 (ISON) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2012 S1 (ISON) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the North-North-East direction at an altitude of 1° above the horizon.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 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 C/2012 S1 (ISON) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) from Earth is currently 4,248,027,158 kilometers, equivalent to 28.396308 Astronomical Units. Light takes 3 hours, 56 minutes and 9.8934 seconds to travel from Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 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 C/2012 S1 (ISON) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) to Earth happens on Fri Dec 27 2013 at a distance of 0.430624 Astronomical Units, or 64,420,498 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Brightness and Light Curve
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) at epoch 30 April 2013 00:00 UTC (JD: 2456413.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00000510 |
Orbit inclination | i | 62.16289398° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.01246671 AU 1,864,994 km |
Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
Orbital period | period | n.a. |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2013-Nov-28 18:20:55 2,456,625.2645 JD |
Argument of perihelion | peri | 345.54119894206° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 295.68654180456° |
Mean anomaly | M | -0.00172478090192° |
Mean motion | n | 0.00000814°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 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 C/2012 S1 (ISON) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Apr 18 | 07h 15m 33s | +37° 25’ 53” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 19 | 07h 15m 35s | +37° 25’ 17” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 20 | 07h 15m 38s | +37° 24’ 41” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 21 | 07h 15m 41s | +37° 24’ 06” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 22 | 07h 15m 42s | +37° 23’ 30” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 23 | 07h 15m 46s | +37° 22’ 54” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 24 | 07h 15m 48s | +37° 22’ 18” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 25 | 07h 15m 51s | +37° 21’ 42” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 26 | 07h 15m 55s | +37° 21’ 05” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 27 | 07h 15m 57s | +37° 20’ 29” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 28 | 07h 16m 01s | +37° 19’ 53” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 29 | 07h 16m 05s | +37° 19’ 17” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 Apr 30 | 07h 16m 09s | +37° 18’ 41” | N.A. | Auriga |
2024 May 01 | 07h 16m 13s | +37° 18’ 03” | N.A. | Auriga |